Too Cute Not To Toot

I will confess, because I only have boys, I tend to gravitate toward boy ideas when it comes to creative things.  This first idea proves that!  My boys love tools - they have a work bench and I hear them playing with that thing on and off throughout the week.  Plus, if my husband is working on some project, the boys go find their "scwdiver" and "heemmer" to help out HA!  When I saw this idea from Dukes and Duchesses, I had to share it.  Right now, my boys are too young for this but I am going to tuck this idea away as something to give them when they are the right age. 

I love the Irish Blessing so when I came across this Printable from Sweet C's Designs, I had to share.

There is no better way to make your kids feel good then to display their artwork.  I have an art wall I'm working on but I also love this idea from Positively Splendid for Framed Art Displays for the fridge - well I couldn't resist.  Now, the front of my fridge is not magnetic but the sides are and one side is very visible from the kitchen and dining room so I think it would be a great thing to have one frame for each of the boys and let them create one craft specifically for the frame - it could be part of my "Mantel" theme!

This next idea comes from Creative Preschool Resources and is something fun to do if you have fun neighbors.  (We don't . . .well, they are ok but I think they would think I was insane if we did this HA!)  One side note, this blog asks that you follow them if you choose to print their resources which is so the thing to do anytime you decide to print from a blog .. .. so if you print, follow too! :-) 

With Easter at the beginning of April, I haven't decided yet if I'm going to do Easter decor or lean more toward spring stuff but, this topiary from She's Kinda Crafty I think would work either way. 

I just wanted to share this idea too - it comes from She's Kinda Crafty.  It's a great wreath and she also has the kits for sale (at least at the time I'm writing this) in her Etsy shop.  It would be a great way to get the supplies but still be able to do it yourself.  She also has premade ones for sale too.  :-)  I think the price is pretty reasonable considering the amount of work she has to do!

Ok, when I saw this recipe, it was too good not to share.  Holy Cow.  Cheesecake.  Chocolate.  Chocolate Chips.  Just say thank you to Bird on a Cake and yes, I WILL  be making this very, very, very soon.

Our Yearly Tradition

We have lots of traditions throughout the year.  Some of them we've been doing for as long as we've been . . .engaged!  On Saturday, March 10th, we made our annual trip back to the East side of the state to visit where my husband and I first met and where we got engaged.  It's hard to believe that 11 years ago, on March 18th, we got engaged.  So many changes!!! 

Our trip started out a little . . . . rough . . . Nate got carsick for the first time. . . three differant times.  We went through this with Josh too (thankfully it only lasted for about 6 months).  This hit at about the same age as Josh's did so we are hoping Nate will grow out of it too.  The poor little guy :-(  I think it was a combination of the sun shining on him and flickering through the trees, it was warm in the back seat, and he was trying to watch a DVD on a screen that had the sun doing funny things on it.  It didn't slow him down once we got to our destinations though!  Thankfully, I had packed extra clothes . .. but now, I will need to pack several outfits again along with wet wash clothes until we know he is past this stage.

Our first stop is always for lunch at National Coney Island. 

(Sorry for some washed out and blurry photos - I'm learning to use a new camera and have a LOT to learn!)  I crave this restaurant throughout most of the year and always get the same thing.  A Large Hani and a Chili Cheese Fry.  Oh. My.  They are good.  I've tried to recreate the Hani at home and can't do it!! 

Once we finish eating, we always drive by the apartment I lived in at the time we met - I loved that apartment and, honestly miss it.  It was big, set up wonderfully, and just was so me! Granted, a family of 4 in a one bedroom apartment might be a little cramped :-)

From there, we head out to Metro Beach which is where Darryl proposed.  Now, the year he proposed, it was warm.  I can remember walking around and people where in shorts, riding bikes and skate boards . .. but most years, it is COLD!!!  This year, the wind was wicked and so frigid.  One of the coldest trips ever.  We had hoped that the boys could actually play on the play ground but wow, not happening!

 This photo freaks me out!!  There is Nate, looking all cute . . .and a freaky guy in a black stocking cap and dark glasses is peaking over the wall.  Don't worry - it's Darryl LOL  He was trying to make Nate laugh and I caught him like this - it makes me laugh!

 Every year, as long as we have gone to Metro Beach,  Darryl does a pull-up on the bar.  Eventually, we'll get the boys to do it too!

 This is our annual photo . .. we usually do it at the end of the boardwalk, which is where we got engaged, but the cold and wind was too much.  Instead we sat down behind this all and got it. Even with the wall - I had wind blown hair.

 Another annual photo op - we always take photos of our rings (we did just mine when we got engaged) Now I have my wedding bands and another ring Darryl got me after 5 years.  (He's still learning the camera which is why there is so much sky in the photo HA!)

 Josh had a blast - he was super happy . . . . .

Nate . . .well . . he was having a moment.  He had extremely cold hands and they were unthawing and hurt.  I felt so bad for him :-( 


We started a new tradition last year - we visit the Morley Candy Factory which is where Sander's Candy is made.  We all pick out a special treat.

The boys, over the course of the 30 minutes we were there, picked out about 300 different items but finally settled on chocolate covered rice krispy treats and a bag of mixed hard candy that they filled.  I was hoping for a Supreme Caramel Apple, like I had last year, but they didn't have any so I had a gourmet chocolate covered pretzel and some turtles.  The candy is so good.  I told Darryl that each year we come, the bill will get higher because the boys will get better at picking out treats :-)

The last part of our day is flexible.  As the boys get older, we are going to pick as a family what activity we want to do.  Last year we went to a fantastic Arcade/museum but, the age the boys are now makes that activity hard.  The arcade is packed and our boys like to move fast.  So instead, we took them to Build-a-Bear.  I've wanted to take them for awhile but there aren't any on this side of the state so it was a perfect time to do it.  In future years we'll go back to the Arcade, go bowling, to a movie, or to some of the museums in Detroit. 

   Nate had a ton of fun here.  He quickly picked out his bear and then picked out Josh's because it was a little over whelming for him.  Even when it was time to fill his bear, he wanted Nate to press the pedal but, once his bear was filled, he gave it a big hug and just loves it.  Both boys happily slept with their bears when we got home. 

Despite the fact that we've been making this trip for 10 years, dinner is always up in the air.  This year, since we were at the mall, the easiest thing was to eat at the food court.  Darryl and I weren't super hungry but the boys inhaled with quasidillas :-)   Maybe some day we'll find THE place to stop for dinner!!

It really was a fun day that ended with the boys loving the music in the truck.  Darryl was playing some of his favorite CD's when one of the songs finished and both boys started clapping and asking for more.  Every time a new song would start, I would see Josh shaking his head to the beat :-)  Super fun!

A Great Read

Someone posted a link to this article on my facebook page and I could so relate.   I've also noticed that blog land is also judgmental as you read about what everyone else is doing and they seem so pefect.  Well, my kids like McDonalds and they are learning how to count from Nick Jr :-)  Enjoy this great article!!
Mom Judgements!

Enjoy!

Menu - Week of March 10th

As soon as I posted last week, my menu changed :-)  Instead of going to see our friend and her new baby on Saturday, we had to go Sunday so I found a fantastic Crock Pot Recipe for Korean Beef Tacos (I'll share later!!) and we had that instead.  That pushed my Salisbury Steak Recipe to Tuesday (It was not good :-( ) and I actually made the mini-quiches this week!!!  My husband ended up being home on Wednesday night after all so we finally enjoyed those and, do you know what?  I remembered why I've been making them for close to 20 years - they are so good.  The down side is that they were not pretty enough to photograph because I didn't have any Butter Spray for the pan so I'll have to make them again soon to share with all of you!  This next week is a little less busy, which is kinda nice!

This week's menu:

Saturday: This is the day we are making our annual trip to Metro Beach on the East side of the state.  I'll be sharing our trip in a post next week!

Sunday: After church we will have Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Ribs, Green Bean Casserole, Broccoli Salad and French Bread.  Then for dinner, I'm going to make Stuffed Pizza Rolls and Baked Brie Bites - both Pinterest Recipes :-)

Monday: I'm not babysitting this day so the boys and I are going to run a few errands in town and then we are going to a favorite fast food place called Rally's - we LOVE Rally burgers and now the boys are old enough to handle eating in the car (Rally's is drive through only!)

Tuesday: Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken with Pasta and Focaccia Bread

Wednesday: Meatball Sub Sandwiches and Cheesy Cauliflower Bake.

Thursday: Stuffed Shells with Cheese, Roasted Cabbage Wedges, Olive Garden Salad (using a copy cat recipe for the dressing)

Friday: I'm scrapbooking this day so I'll Darryl bring home dinner for him and the kids!!

I do have a few sweet treats planned:  Cowboy Cookies and then the Lemon Cake and Brownies from the past few weeks. Originally, I was going to really focus on breads this week but some how I've ended up with only one - the Focaccia Bread.  I've mentioned before that my family loves bread so I'm really trying to build up some more recipes.

Food Friday - Ham and Potato Soup

I love a really good Ham and Potato Soup but, for whatever reason, I've never made it before but, I had a big ol' ham bone in my freezer and wanted to use it up so I went searching for a recipe and tried my hand at this new family favorite!

Ham and Potato Soup
adapted from Allrecipes.com

I took some major shortcuts with this recipe - I did it in the crock-pot :-)  I cut everything up and threw it all in, turned it on and let it cook.  I did cook it on high for about 4 hours.  It was a little thinner then it would be if you cooked the milk/flour and added it at the end to a boiling pot but it was so super good and easy - I would do it in a crock-pot every time. 

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
• 1/3 cup diced celery
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 3/4 cup diced cooked ham
• 3 1/4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk

Directions

1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

What I'm Reading

I realize that I have missed this post the last few weeks and I have good reason :-)  First, though, I wanted to show you a new accessory that I got for my Kindle.  Just like with any book, when dusk hits, it gets hard to read so I did a little research and knew what I wanted - check this fun new toy out!

It is a LIGHT!!  I love it because my Kindle case has a slot for the base of the light to slip into.  Then, the light can either be down (like the first photo) and I can shine the light up onto the page or I can flip the light up (the second photo) and it shines down on the page.  Either way, it makes it so nice to read at night or anytime the light is low.  I find the light at Wal-mart and it was less then $15.00

So, why haven't I posted?  Simple this - I am sucked into the Stephanie Plum novels.  I know in a previous post I talked about reading One for the Money.  Well, I just finished book 14, yep, that's right.  This brought about a dilemma for m though because I really hesitate to recommend the books.  Why?  They are not "clean" - they actually have lots of language and that is not normally something I read.  A few of the books are worse than others - I can't remember which one for sure but either 3 or 4, I wouldn't read again but then after that, they weren't quite so bad.  Why do I keep reading them?  Because I love the writing.  It is clever, creative, and entertaining.  I have noticed a few glitches between books such as in one novel a main character's SUV is blown up but in the next novel he has that SUV again.  Anyway, that's why I haven't posted about what I'm reading - I wasn't really sure I should!  He's the catch though - do you realize how quickly you can spend money buying books?  Yikes!  I've had to cut myself off for now so I have to wait to read more.  I'm going to have to set a budget - like a $10.00 a  month limit - and then use my Swag Bucks to pick up more Amazon Gift cards to purchase anything else.  I have purchased a few but it takes up to 10 days to get them so I'm on hold for getting any new books I have to pay for until that point. 

One other thing, did you know you can lend out books in your Kindle Library?  I haven't done it yet but from what I've read, when you loan it out, the other person has it for 14 days.  So, here's the deal.  I would really like to read the first Hunger Games book but don't want to buy it.  Anyone have it and want to lend it?  I'm just wondering what the hype is all about!  I'd also like to read "The Help".  (A friend mentioned that you might only be able to load out a book 1 time - ever - she is checking into that so I'll let you know what she learns!)

Since I can't buy anything new - I should have some other books to share with you next week!

St. Patrick's Day Wreath

I've been working on getting my St. Patrick's Day stuff done and put out; it's time to share my fantastic wreath that I made!  My inspiration comes from The CSI Project and I found it on Pinterest (so I guess I could have done this for my weekly Pinterest post, huh?).  It is actually an idea from a blog I follow all of the time, Craftomaniac so maybe that is why I kept thinking it was not a Pinterest Project! Anyway, here is the inspiration photo.

I love the green and brown color combination - it keeps it a little more grown-up, I think. 

Here's my little tutorial :-)

Supplies:
Wreath
Ribbon (wide)
tulle
some type of decor

Now, you might notice that I don't actually have a wreath.  I've seen the idea of taking one of those pool noodles, cutting it down, and then duct taping the ends together to make a wreath.  I figured for $2.00, I could try this option (Plus, I cannot, for the LIFE of me, find the wreath form I have in the house . .. the boys like to play with it and now it has disappeared.  I probably hid it from them . . and apparently myself!)  Then, see the "Irish" plaque?  I found that at Hobby Lobby for $8.00 and used the 40% off coupon to get it.  I could not find any shamrock or horseshoe shapes while there so this was my solution. 

I would love to say that I took pictures of the whole process but I did not so I will show you the finished product and tell you how I got there - it did not go as planned but turned out well in the end.

Isn't that great?  What I ended up doing was wrapping the ribbon around the noodle-turned-wreath because the tulle would NOT cover the red noodle and make it not . . .red.  Then, I wrapped the tool over the ribbon to cover any of the tiny bits of red shining through.  Once done, I hot glued my "Irish" board onto the wreath and added some glittery little shamrocks as well.  I really love this wreath and actually have it facing inside the house on the door so I can enjoy it (Instead of facing out for guests to see!)

I have a couple  of things I'll show on a different day :-)