Gingerbread Building

During holiday break, we need some entertainment before we open our new presents. SOOOO . . . When I found a gingerbread house on sale (25% off already!) I HAD to buy it.

Mommy and Jayci handled most of the icing jobs and the kids added the candy. So we decorated . . .

. . . and we ate a little bit too.

And we had a lot of fun!!!

(Mommy tip: The frame has to dry for 30 min! It is very hard to wait 30

WHOLE minutes to start decorating . . . .)

Happy Fall Y'all!

A couple of weekends ago it was rainy and yucky and we needed an indoor project because the natives were restless . . .

I saw this cute idea on pinterest but didn't realize it was a wedding guest book idea where each guest would add their thumbprint to the tree as a sign in. Cute, but not what I had in mind

So, as all parents do, I adjusted. We made finger print trees. I just drew a tree onto cardstock with a brown crayon and gave each kid a stamp pad and a wipie.

They printed leaves in green, brown, orange, and yellow all over the tree. Then they wiped their color off and traded ink. Some got real creative and made piles of leaves under the tree or falling leaves.

They had a great time and made a keepsake for Mommy. (I'm a sucker for anything with and hand/foot print.)

Cute and happy little Natives now. YAY!

Pumpkin Carving Time

Karis has an easy job! Mr. Potato Head pumpkin pieces. Great present from Granna. Thank you!

Jayci picked a "scary" pattern off bhg.com. She was so excited to carve it herself. No, I did it actually, but she pressed a push pin through the lines of the pattern and thought it was awesome.

Of course, Cade was delighted to get all the gunk out of the middle of the pumpkin but even more excited to roast the seeds.

Finished product. They are totally rotten now but it was a really fun afternoon! (Try this tip to keep your pumpkins fresh. I didn't try it in time.)

Super Shopping Trip!

Last week I began my quest to stock my freezer full of meals. I don't do this all the time but I needed some relief with dinner prep. Hopefully this will help!

I planned 12 recipes:

Baked Ziti

Lazy Lasagna

Mexican Meat Filling

Sweet & Sour Kielbasa

Curry Chicken

Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken

Hungarian Goulash

Baked Salmon

BBQ Meatloaf

Marinated Pork Chops

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie Cups

Chicken Pot Pies

(Don't worry. I'm digging up the links and recipes for you too.)

BUT - as I'm guessing it is for you, shopping is not my favorite thing when I have my littles in tow. This particular week I would have 2 of the 3 so I knew it was going to be a challenge. However, with a little fore-thought and a couple of clipboards (my secret weapon), we managed. OH, and these awesome printables from TipJunkie. There are 2 Bingo cards and an "I Spy" game. What an awesome invention!!!

This was Karis's.

Cade loved it!! He kept asking if we had put these things in our basket. I don't think he truly got the idea but then again, I wasn't making it a competition.

They were totally occupied for the entire trip. It was unbelievable!! I'm sure it will never happen again . . . . so I'm just going to relish it for now.

More to come . . .

An Organized Home

I'm a pretty organized person. Even with 3 kids I think I've held it together pretty well. Ok, most days I hold it together. Some I just let it go . . .

Anyway, I have decided to get things more organized in my home. We've lived here in this house 2 years now and I feel like most things were just put in a closet so they could be unpacked, not necessarily because they went there. Now, of course, we have expanded our stuff and our needs have changed. Our game closet used to have a few grown-up games but now our kids have their own games so that space is crammed. Our hall closet and pantry are so confusing I can't even begin to describe what issue is the biggest problem there. UGH.

However, I only get a little done at once and have very little motivation when I have down time.

So. Here's my solution: I've got a friend that's just as nuts about organization as I am!! She and I are going to help each other out by going to each other's houses and helping clean out and organize. We have both started on our pantries separately and done a pretty good job. (Pictures to come.)

Next week, we are getting together here and working on one of my many projects. I'm so pumped!!

A wonderful quote my organized friend found for me: "If a home doesn't make sense, nothing does." I feel it. Do you?

PS: Here's some websites to motivate you!!

Honey & Fitz (my dream pantry!)

Whole Nine part 1

Whole Nine part 2

Oh Yes, It's that EASY!!!

Today I made the easiest meal. Clean up was a cake-walk too.

Ready for the recipe? Here you go.

1 whole chicken

1 bottle of BBQ sauce (flavor of your choice)

Pour the sauce on top of the chicken and cook for 4-5 hrs on low in the crock pot. If you use a crock pot liner (like the ones Reynolds makes) you can throw the bones and fat into that when you de-bone that sucker and toss the whole bag out. Clean up - DONE!

PS: It smells amazing too . . .

Family Fun Friday

Yesterday we went to San Diego for a little fun day. We went to Daddy's school, the beach (just to play in the sand), to eat some yummy BBQ. Oh, and to pick up our friend Jay from the airport. We had a lot of fun!!

Mmmmm.... Ribs

Picking Blueberries

Each kiddo wanted to be Farmer Mike

Picking Blueberries

Only pick the blue ones that aren't squishy!!

Look What We Found!

Matt's nephew, Travis, had this on his back porch & he never uses it so we brought it back as a souvenir. It's a perfect cooler!

Dinner Made EZ

Have you ever watched the clock all afternoon hoping that 5 o'clock would not come around? I have done that so many times!! Well, let me share a website with you that will make life easy for you too. It's E-Mealz. The creators of this website have compiled several different lists (and I really mean TONS!) to choose from but all of them are meal plans for the week. After the menu for the week is the shopping list for all the meals! It's awesome. The best part? It's only $5 a month! That's $1.25 per week! Check it out!

Frogs!

We have frogs! Tiny little baby froggies joined our backyard last week and got caught. The poor little things have been played with and played with all weekend. (Yesterday we even had to take a frog break so we wouldn't hurt them or make them tired. ;))

The Lesson of Lemonade

Thanks to Pampered Chef . . .

my 2 yr old is learning up & down . . .

and up & down . . .

and up & down. . . .

Whew! I need something refreshing. That was hard work!

He is Risen!

Today is Easter Sunday!! I am reminded of the most amazing sacrifice I'll ever know - that of Jesus' death and resurrection. It brings me life, hope, joy, and all because he loved me enough to give me his life. Thank you Jesus!!

To give my kids a visual of the empty tomb and the surprise Mary and Martha might have felt, we made resurrection rolls. Just dip a marshmallow in melted butter and then roll it in a cinnamon/sugar mixture. (This represents the anointing of Jesus' body. Older kids will be able to understand the symbolism.) Wrap it in a crescent roll (seal it too) and bake according to the directions on the crescent roll package. (Tip: wrap it well!!!) Let them cool and open them up. Maybe you'll be surprised too!

Our empty tombs . . . .

These are my guards outside Jesus' tomb. They are making sure no one steals Jesus' body.

(I was the angel, of course.)

My Little Planner

Jayci got a wooden and magnet calendar for Christmas. I thought she would love it but really it was one of those "Cool, Mom" kind of gifts . . . until today. We sat down today and scheduled April. Mind you her birthday is in April so that was a huge bonus. We had so much fun. It was especially good to talk about Good Friday and Easter and the meaning of both.

Quinoa, part 2

I just bought the Deep Covered Baker from Pampered Chef and I'm thinking it is going to change my life. The wonderful Chef that sold me the thing gave a cookbook away with purchase . . . . WOO HOO!!! Honestly, I don't think I would have bought it without the cookbook. It's not full of those recipes that only use PC products. Its actually really useful. (And yes, I checked it out before I bought the baker.)

Here is the quinoa recipe she has in there. You'll have to make adjustments if you don't have the baker but you awesome cooks can handle it.

Quinoa Corn Casserole

4 c Quinoa* cooked

2 bags of frozen corn

3 eggs

1 bag of shredded cheddar cheese or cheddar blended cheese

1 green pepper, diced (opt)

Mix all ingredients together in Deep Covered Baker. Microwave for 5 minutes, stir, then microwave for an additional 10 minutes.

Note from the cookbook: *Quinoa is a grain. It looks just a bit smaller than couscous. It's very easy to fix, is a complete protein and tastes great with a variety of foods. You have to cook it before adding to another recipe. 1 cup Quinoa to 2 cups water. Boil. It take about 30 minutes. There's a fine ring around the grain that comes off, don't worry about it.

Quinoa, Baby!!!

Ok. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you gotta keep reading. This stuff is so good!

First of all, it's pronounced "Key-Wuh". I think. (Feel free to comment and tell me otherwise.) I learned about it from my Dad and it's supposed to be the newest, best thing out there. A good grain and healthy as all-get-out. (I think that's Texan, but you get it.)

I have 2 recipes for you to try. Let me know what you think!! This one I made tonight but haven't got around to the other yet. I'll post it soon. I'm keeping it on the list though, especially since my oldest (and pickiest) child loved it . . . Go figure. I guess if you put maple syrup and cranberries in something, anyone will like it. Hope you like it too.

Smokey Pork and Quinoa

1 pork tenderloin (1 3/4 lbs)

1 Tbs smokehouse maple seasoning

1 Tbs canola oil

1 onion, chopped

1 c uncooked quinoa

1 3/4 c chicken broth

2 Tbs maple syrup

3/4 c dried cranberries

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c peas

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Season pork with 2 1/2 tsp of the smokehouse seasoning. Heat 2 tsp of the oil in large nonstick ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat. Brown pork 2 minutes or until golden. Roast at 450 degrees for 18 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.

(I must admit I cooked my pork a different way so I have no idea how this turns out.)

2. Meanwhile in medium-size saucepan, heat 1 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, quinoa to saucepan. Stir in broth, syrup, cranberries, 1/2 tsp smokehouse seasoning and salt.

3. Bring quinoa mixture to a boil. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in peas and heat through. Slice pork; serve with quinoa.

4 servings

per serving: 529 calories, 14g fat (3g sat fat), 38 g protein, 63g carbs, 6g fiber, 821 mg sodium, 96 mg cholesterol (WOW, right?!)

Valentine's Lunch

Valentine's Lunch

Did I just pray for rejection?

So . . . this year I had a job over the Christmas holidays. I really enjoyed it even though it was the weirdest hours imaginable. I felt like a real person. Not just a mom or homemaker but a real person. I also didn't feel guilty about leaving my family to go to work. I was able to be with them during the day and work at night. Now, because I absolutely must have 8 hrs of sleep or I become a crab, my hubby helped out with the morning duties on my late nights. I don't think he minded. It seemed to give him special time with our kids too.

Early on in my job the management began talking about bringing me on after the holiday season was over on a part time basis. It would be early morning hours instead of night but basically wouldn't be different from the schedule I already had with my kids so I was excited about it. That was mid-December. I talked to Hubby about it and prayed about it too. All systems seemed a-go.

My prayer wasn't totally clear. I'm kinda a wimp when it comes to making decisions so I asked God to just make the choice for me. If the position was going to be good for my family and me, then let them offer it. If not, then don't. (Very spiritual, huh.)

Well, long story short . . . they didn't get the position. No one knew until the last minute but it was all off. Humph. My feelings were strange right from the beginning. I felt totally rejected. At the time, I was the ONLY person working seasonal that would not be returning. That, in and of itself, was a crushing blow.

However, I had this strangely peaceful feeling. I also immediately remembered my prayer. I knew God had gone before me and seen that it would be difficult for me or my family in the long run so he nipped it in the bud. He knew. He always does. All-in-all, I was disappointed but now, I'm glad to be back to normal again. (Or as close as it gets for our house.)

Care Bear Party!!

Today we celebrated my little one's 2nd birthday with some of her friends and their families. It was a Care Bear party because it is her nickname. I have been planning and thinking about this party since Christmas! Although not enough to actually order anything online so everything was what we could find.

Invitations: I looked everywhere for Care Bear invitations but to no avail. I made my own on my new computer: just copied/pasted a graphic from an online source and even downloaded the Care Bear font! Fun!

Cake: I got this idea from a Semi-Homemade magazine and from this site. (She has some great cake building tips too.) I altered it on the exterior with marshmallows (lg & sm) to mimic clouds. (The Care Bears on top were mine as a child.)

Other yummies:

Rainbow fruit platter - 1 fruit for every color of the rainbow: strawberries, oranges, pineapple, green apples, blueberries, and grapes. I wanted to make a rainbow with marshmallows on the ends like a pretty little rainbow, but I didn't have a platter big enough. I decided this would work just as well.

Teddy Grahams - mixed with marshmallows in the bowls and scattered on the cloud like cotton

Skittles Candy Bar - I separated a bag of candy and let kids put whichever colors they liked into colorful silicone cupcake wrappers.

Decorations:

My sweet hubby blew up 50-something white balloons and we created cumulus craziness in our living room. Of course, we had helium balloons, and crepe paper to make it look like a party instead of a house.

Game:

We played "Cloud Pick Up": the kids (in 2 different age groups) gathered cotton balls that were hidden under the white balloons. Even our 1 year old guests played. There were no winners just a celebration when all the "clouds" were picked up.

Favors:

Each guest took home a cello bag filled with their very own piece of a cloud (poly-fill), bubbles, and play dough. I tied one of the balloons on each bag.

The Truth

I'm really not a great blogger. I want to be. I think about my audience so much - all 5 of you. I often think about all the things I want to blog about. But, I just don't feel like I can post anything without a picture and that stresses me out. Sorry. I'm going to try to be better. How the heck do people do this for a living? Ugh.