Thursday, June 30, 2011

Happy 8th Birthday!

Happy 8th Birthday to this SWEET girl...


8 Reasons Why I LOVE Her:

1. She is the most unselfish person I know - she'll do ANYTHING for me!
2.  She can DANCE like there's no tomorrow...you should see her play JUST DANCE on the wii! She's got the moves!!
3.  She can carry on a conversation with anyone, any age, any time!  The only time she's not talking is when she's asleep.
4.   She can be a total girly GIRL one minute and then turn around and whip ya at a game of soccer or a foot race, etc.
5.  She could very well become a professional hula-hooper.  She can hula-hoop for an eternity without stopping!
6.  She always tries her hardest to CTR, and rarely makes a choice that would disappoint!
7.  She has the goofiest, toothless GRIN around, but never stops SMILING - ever!
and 
8.  She makes me feel like I've been somewhat successful as a mom & I love her to pieces!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Cute Ideas...

How perfect would these two treat ideas be for sharing while watching fireworks this Holiday weekend??  So easy and so cute!

Red Vines Bundles from Room to Inspire (link also found at eighteen25):

Ring Pops from lisa storms:
Blog_4th_ringpop

Wishing you all a SPECTACULAR 4th!

Friday, June 24, 2011

Summer Fun!

When I saw this idea on eighteen25, I knew it was PERFECT for my almost 8 year old daughter!  She is super creative and loves to be doing anything crafty.  I could fill an entire filing cabinet with the little notes and pictures she's constantly giving me.  Almost daily I find a little note or picture tucked somewhere.  Writing a PEN PAL would be the perfect summer activity for her!  She has several little friends that I know would love corresponding with her through the mail.  So, we will be creating some of these darling pen pal kits over the next few days...one to for Syd to keep, and a couple for the friends she'd like to correspond with.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Quick 4th of July Decoration!

Have you seen these FREE, patriotic subway art printables from eighteen25 and the Crafting Chicks?  They're perfect for the 4th of July!  You can print them any size (as big as 16x20 down to 3x5).  A 4x6 size in a little red frame would be perfect for a VT gift or for a late June birthday gift.  I printed one in an 8x10 size and put it in a frame on my mantle with my other patriotic decorations.  Easy! Quick! Cheap!  Love it!



Happy Decorating...

Monday, June 20, 2011

Delicious Week!

I tried several new recipes this past week and weekend, all of which were from Our Best Bites.  I either got the recipes from their cookbook or from their site...  All the recipes were fairly simple and soooo yummy!

Here are the ones I tried along with a couple of the recipes (all pictures are from their site):
Spicy Honey Chicken
Made this for my family for Sunday dinner.  Grilled it on the BBQ & served it with baked potatoes, fresh fruit, rolls w/jam, and steamed veggies.  It was delicious!  It's in the cookbook, not on their site...  So if you have the cookbook, you gotta try this recipe!  It won't disappoint.

Asian BBQ Chicken

This is such an easy recipe.  I got the chicken marinating in the morning and stuck it in the fridge for the day.  Then we grilled it on the BBQ that evening.  My kids LOVED this chicken.  They would eat it daily!!  It's similar to a teriyaki chicken, but BETTER.  My sister likes to use the leftover chicken to make a pizza with an Alfredo sauce instead of a tomato sauce.  Haven't tried that, but sounds good to me! 

Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches



This was sooo good & easy as well!  It's a crock pot recipe - my favorite!  The ingredients for this recipe sound kinda interesting, but  trust me, it is really YUMMY!  Try it!  We ate it as suggested on toasted rolls with provolone cheese the first night.  The next day we used the leftover shredded beef on fresh cooked flour tortillas with shredded cheddar cheese...it was amazing!  So good!!

Berry Cobbler
I made this for dessert for Father's Day.  It was a little work, and used several bowls (I hate doing dishes!).  Not hard by any means, just took a few minutes.  But soooo worth it!  It was the perfect dessert.  It tasted so good.  I made it with frozen blueberries and blackberries.  I also served it with French vanilla ice cream drizzled with a caramel/butter sauce I made.  It was heavenly.  Everyone loved it.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Lacking Computer Skills...



Okay, so I am not the brightest computer girl in the world!  I totally admit it!!  I knew there was a way to link you to the actual page and not just the main site for the ideas & projects I found on other blogs - I just didn't know exactly how to link it right.  In my lame mind, I just thought, "Oh-well, maybe if I at least link them to the main page, they'll see other things they like as they search for the item I was directing them toward!"  Well, I understand that doesn't always work - as some sites are impossible to search or navigate through.
Good news though...  I think I just figured out how to link you to the actual page!  It was easy & I'm really lame/embarrassed!  Just had never thought through it enough to figure it out!  Sorry!!  So, I went back and fixed the i am baker rose tutorial link and the Little Birdie Secrets link from the same post.  I'll link right from now on - PROMISE!  Thanks for understanding my slow slow computer brain!!

p.s.  look at this cute cute hydrangea cake from i am baker
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IMG_6446.stamp

New Family Pictures...

My friend & photographer took some new pictures of us a few weeks ago.  Our last family pictures did not include our new little baby - so we were in desperate need of some updating!  My friend is Jostlyn and her photography business is called Roz Photography - you can look her up on facebook under Roz Photography.  She does a great job and makes the stressful picture taking situation quick & painless!  My kids even smiled for her...

Here are some of my favorites:

Simply Beautiful!

I have seen several blog posts around with the "rose" frosting technique on cakes & cookies.  The cakes are simple, but so elegant!  I haven't tried to make any frosting roses yet, but I'm thinking I will soon...  Take a look at what's out there: i am baker used the frosting technique on sugar cookies for a bake sell.  I'm thinking these would be perfect for my almost eight year old's baptism refreshment...all with white frosting! 
IMG_9552.rosecookiesIMG_9675.rosecookie

Little Birdie Secrets made these cookies & a matching cake for a party...

I think they're so pretty...  The tutorials make it look so easy too!  I'm sure it will be a little harder than it looks, but still worth a try, right?!  I'll post picts of my attempts if I ever get around to trying this technique out!  i am baker has a simple tutorial & directions on what tip to use, etc...

Monday, June 6, 2011

A Comparison...

Just wanted to see the difference -

 Remember this Little Leprechaun picture I posted back in March??  Well, that was right around the time we realized our little guy wasn't gaining weight like he should...  Now 2 1/2 months later, he's still not on the charts, but has put on a good 4 pounds!!  Can you see the difference?

7 Months!

Our little guy is 7 months old now!  We are soooo enjoying him!  He has the cutest, sweetest personality.  He will smile at anyone and is happy almost always.  He can roll & roll & roll around and has just started to sit up.  We love him so much.  Can't believe 7 months have already gone by!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

2 Things...

1st:  Chore Charts - Here's what I came up with.  Nothing too fabulous, but so far they have been successful.  My kids are excited to see what's in their pockets each morning.  Hopefully their excitement will last through the summer... We'll see!  Also, my cousin sent me a link to an awesome 3-month SUMMER CALENDER.  You can print it on legal size paper & keep it on your fridge with your whole summer planned out.  That way kids can see what's coming up, like a summer trip, etc., or can see what the plan for the day is.  You can find the summer calender here: http://thirtyhandmadedays.com/2011/05/funner-in-the-summer-summer-calendar-from-heather-carson/


2nd: Black Bean Salsa - Yummy!  Every time I make this, I can't get enough of it.  It's really good!  It is perfect to take to a BBQ or to have as an appetizer.  It's served with tortilla chips. 

Black Bean Salsa:
2 cans corn - drained
2 cans black beans - drained & rinsed
diced avocados
diced Roma tomatoes
sliced green onions
chopped fresh cilantro
1 prepared packet of Good Seasons Italian dressing
(I usually make the "less oil" version of the dressing)
lemon pepper - to taste

Mix all ingredients.  Chill before serving.

Summer Reading

I am getting ready to move all our children's books upstairs to our office so that they are easily accessible for the summer.  While stacking & moving books, I came across some of our MOST FAVORITE children's books.  Just wanted to share some of our favorites in case you need some new fun SUMMER READING materials...
Favorite Picture/Story Books:
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes: Book CoverThe Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone: Book Cover
The Wolf Who Cried Boy by Bob Hartman: Book CoverThe Paper Bag Princess by Robert N. Munsch: Book Cover
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes: Book Cover
(Kevin Henkes has to be one of our most FAVORITE children's author!)

Favorite Chapter Books:

The Boxcar Children (The Boxcar Children Series #1) by Gertrude Chandler Warner: Book CoverSummer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls: Book CoverJudy Moody and Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt
(My almost 8 year old is reading The Box Car Children series, and Summer of the Monkeys is just right for my 10 year old.  Judy Moody & Stink books are hilarious!  We read them together, out loud. Plus, you may have seen the previews for the Judy Moody MOVIE coming out June 10th!  Looks pretty funny.  We'll be going to it for sure!)

Can't forget us moms!  Good reads, if you haven't already read them:

The Hunger Games (Hunger Games Series #1) by Suzanne Collins: NOOK Book CoverThe Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: Book Cover

Also, the June edition of The Friend magazine has a SUMMER READING program.  It has a reading activity for each week of the summer all using The Friend.  Check it out if you receive the magazine, or you can view it online at lds.org.