Not Your Average Young Mom

Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

2012-09-18T08:34:00.001-07:00

What's easier then throwing ingredients into the slow cooker and let it handle the work the rest of the day??

I've got an amazing recipe for Beef Stroganoff, that has become a family favorite!! And did I mention it's easy to prepare!?

With this meal, you can throw it together at night put it in the fridge, and it's ready for you to put in slow cooker while your racing for work (or getting the kids ready for school)

These are the ingredients needed.

2 Packs of Beef Stroganoff Seasoning Mix

2 Large sized containers of Sour Cream

Family Pack size Boneless Beef for Stew

Large bag of Medium Egg Noodles

I start off by cutting the beef chunks into smaller sections. This is optional, but I think this gives the stroganoff more meat pieces.

Then you scoop the meat into the slow cooker and add water and both stroganoff seasoning mixes.

To get a thicker sauce, add just enough water to barely cover the top of the meat. For thinner sauce you can add more water.

Stir the Stroganoff mix in with the water and meat and allow it to cook on high heat for at least 8 hours.

Ok so your home from work, the house is smelling amazing and it's getting closer to eat.

Next step is to stir in both Sour Creams and allow it to thicken up while your boiling your noodles.

I didn't take pictures of the noddle cooking part. So, boil your noodles until tender drain and add them to your stroganoff.

For extra flavor, I add in some Seasoning Salt and Pepper. This is optional and of course you can pick and choose any desired seasonings of choice :]

And there you have it! I hope you enjoy this dinner as much as my family has!

Earwax Candles

2012-07-19T19:31:00.001-07:00

Today my Husband and I used those candles that retrieve your inner ear wax ew! I was pretty hesitant on using it but after watching numerous You Tube videos on how it's done, I decided i will give it a try.

I wanted to share my experiance with ya'll lol.

My Husband hiding his face lol

Sorry about my goofy face, I was so scarred lol!

Cayden was our little spectator

So what I didn't share was the inner ear wax part, pretty nasty looking! Even if you clean your ears daily it's amazing how nasty the results are.

I am not sure if it's a mental thing or what, but you can tell a differance in hearing after your done!

I hear that this is actually a healthier way of cleaning your ear then the q-tip way.

Taco Lasagna

2012-07-19T19:07:00.000-07:00

Bringing a new approach on your Traditional Lasagna, Taco Lasagna is a delish meal that will leave you satisfied.

This recipe is my family's favorite dish and is always turning friends heads. I am asked to make this meal all the time when any of my Husband's friends come by to visit.

Your ingredients:

-2 Pounds Hamburger Meat

-31 oz can Refried Beans

-10 oz can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies

-15 oz jar Salsa Con Queso

-8 oz Bag Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

-16 oz box Lasagna Noodles

-24 oz container Sour Cream

-2 packets Taco Seasoning

Steps-

1. Start boiling the water for the noodles. when water boils cook noodles until tender ( I recommend adding salt to the boiling water to keep the noodles from sticking)

2. Meanwhile fry the hamburger meat thoroughly and drain grease.

3.Put the hamburger meat back on the burner and add the whole jar of salsa con queso as well as the taco seasoning and stir thoroughly.

4. Warm up Refried Beans (Optional, warming them first will help them apply easier)

5. Start adding your layers. I suggest starting the layers off with the taco meat. In between each layer separate with the Lasagna Noodles.

6.Keep adding new layers of all the ingredients, leaving the lasagna noodles on the top.

7. Sprinkle the cheese over the noodles and drizzle Ortega over.

8. Cover with foil and bake on 350 for an hour.

9. Allow a half hour gap between baking and eating.

Finding our way to Potty Training Success

2012-07-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

Tis the time to start Potty Training in the Yarnell Household. With Carson Being 27 months old, he is starting to show interest in the Potty.

Potty Training should be fun and Successful for a child and that is what I am trying to do for My little guy.

This is my Big Boy, giving the stand up method a try!

Sit down Method

To help his excitement for this new step in his life I went out and bought these two things for him.

Carson loves Elmo!! The DVD really caught Carson's attention and as for the book, we bring that into the Bathroom with him while he is on the potty!

Another thing I came up with, was our own chart!

Here is what I came up with. On the left side, all his "pees" will be counted and the right, his "poos." Each parent can have their rewards. I chose to give Carson a Candy after 10 pees (a BIG candy) and for Poo's after 10 a toy (a simple Dollar Store would be good!) Each time he goes pee/poo I do reward him little treats. For our Potty Training chart I laminated it for multiple uses when used with a dry erase marker.

Since it's summer, to let Carson be aware of it being "time to pee" I will occasionally let him run around outside without a diaper. Letting him know, when it's time to go pee run up to a bush and pee on it... He loves this idea and gets a big kick out of it.

Some other ideas I heard and are trying some as well are to help with Potty Training Success are.

-Buy some inexpensive toys, wrap them up and allow them to choose one after their accomplishment of successfully using the potty.

-Another is, remain positive. If your little one has an accident, don't discipline him/her for it.

-Put Cheerios in the toilet as an aiming device.

-Make up exciting songs about Potty Training.

-Use a sticker chart.

-Start a tradition, after every successful run follow up with an activity. Do this every time your little one uses the potty (like color, or paint, play a special game)

-Pick out fun "Big Boy" under wear with prints that appeal to your toddlers likings.

-Die the Toilet water Blue or Red that way when the pee hits it, it turns the waters color.

-Put the diapers and diapering utensils further than normal and every time you change your little ones diaper, have him/her go grab all the supplies.

Please share your success stories and add some tips if you have them!

Another Remedy For Diaper Rash

2012-07-17T15:01:00.001-07:00

Continued on to my previous post about the Diaper Rash Remdy, I have two more that I recommend using.

One is given to us by our Pediatric Nurse and the other one was passed down through a friends Pediatrician.

This Remedy is the one our Pediatric Nurse Gave us, Simply mix equal parts of Corn Startch and Maalox together until a you get a "Diaper Cream" like condensity.

The other one, is one part Eucerin and one part Maalox

These two are good ones as well as the first one I wrote about. If you know your Baby doesn't have a "Yeast Diaper Rash" then I would say to use these to only because the anti fungal cream in the other blog i wrote could hurt their sensitive skin.

Severe Diaper Rash Home Remedy

2012-07-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

So my 8 month old has, this crazy diaper rash going on. I have tried EVERYTHING under the sun to help his little tush.

While talking to my Grandma, I had mentioned this issue to her and she gave me a home remedy that has been passed on through the family. (Or maybe at least my Aunts and Uncles)

This is known to work wonders, and out of all the cousins I have (8 total) this has been the best diaper rash solution.

These are the ingredients you need:

Desitin- Original

A+D Ointment

Lotrimin (or a Anti fungal cream)

Maalox or Mylanta (I used Alka-Seltzer because I had this on hand however it took 90 years to crush up the tablets lol but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND not using Alka-Seltzer I had to re do it and use Maalox)

Here is the Maalox, I have yet to find it in the actuall brand but Kroger Brand does have it and it's cheaper I bet!!

Why the ingredients?

Maalox/Mylanta- Reduces the irritation from the acid in the stools.

Lotrimin/Anti Fungal- The bad diaper rashes involve yeast which the anti fungal helps to reduce that.

How to make it.

Mix equal parts of all the ingredients with a cap full of Maalox. This is sort of a trial and error type of thing until you are able to get it to a thick paste.

This is what the final product should look like.

Put the cream into a container that has a lid so you are able to have multiple uses! :]

You are able to use this Remedy as often as your change your little one. Good Luck and I hope this helps Your Little One!

Fourth Of July Shirts

2012-07-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

I am a little late blogging about the Fourth of July. I haven't had much access to a computer since, the battery on mine is long gone!

I love having my boys match, so for the Fourth I thought it would be fun to have them match by making them shirts on my own... What's more better than a personally made shirt??

I went to JoAnn Fabrics and by surprise the "Patriotic" fabrics were all 50% off so I winded up spending a whopping 2 dollars for all my fabric! Nice right! :]

I picked up two different styled fabric choices, as well as this neat bonding fabric the lady introduced me to at the store.

I have no Step By Step Photo's and I do apologize I waited till 1 am the day before to make this project.

Start off by drawing a tie like shape on a piece of paper that is an appropriate size to the shirt you'll be putting it on.

Once done place your "tie" on the fabric and lightly trace around. You Could even put the bonding fabric under the fabric to insure a precise cut on them both.

For the other Fabric and Simply cut out strips as long as the shirt your putting it on (From shoulder to bottom) again cut out both fabric and bonding material together.

You got all your pieces together, now all your do is place your fabric on the shirt where you want it located and iron it on. (Your bonding fabric will have play by play instructions on how to do it!)

And the finished product :] Since having the shirts on hand this project only cost the price of the fabric. Which was 2 dollars! :]

Fast DIY Layered Candle

2012-07-14T09:57:00.003-07:00

So have you ever went into a store and smelled the layered candles, wishing there was one of the scents you want??

This just recently happened to me, as I was smelling the Yankee Candles. I got the idea from their new "Mixology" Line

I bought my Mom one for Mother's Day and I am waiting for her to try it before I buy myself one.

On average my layered candle I made cost about 8 dollars.

Supplies needed:

3 Yankee Candle Votive's. The ones I chose were Tropical Pineapple, Pink Sands, Sweet Pea

Candle Wicks (I picked mine up and Hobby Lobby)

Glass Holder to hold your Layered Candle in

Place your votive in a mug and let it sit in a boiling pot of water till completely melted.

Once the wax is melted either have someone hold the wick for you or, you can super glue the wick into place. Pour the wax slowly into the glass jar.

Allow each layer to harden before pouring the new wax on top of last. Repeat this process till your done.

When your new Candle is all cooled off, trim the wick, light and enjoy!

I do not have a picture of the finished product due to giving this Candle as a gift. However i do have a photo of one that recently made and kept.

This is not the greatest picture ever, I apologize this was taken from my cell phone.

I call this one my Tropical Paradise one:

Bottom to top

Coconut Vanilla

Beach Party

Island Getaway

Make time for your Husband

2012-06-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

One thing I have noticed is, once a woman has children.. she sort of puts her Husband on the back burners. I myself am guilty of this one and just recently decided to make time for my Husband.. After all he deserves it!

Here are some things we have recently been doing together!

Play a card game together. My Husband and I love playing Phase 10 as well Uno

Once the kids go to sleep have a Movie Marathon.. Choose a theme and stick to those movies all week. We are working on Marvel Movies.

Go watch your City's Baseball Team Play. The weekends games usually end with fireworks :]

Be kids again.. Go to the park alone and swing together.

Take showers together. Have some playful fun in there together, or help one another wash up.

Help one another workout. It can be great motivation having your man around to "show off" how many crunches you can do lol.

Cook dinners together... This could possibly be a door way to him making you dinners once in awhile. ;)

Go to a store that interests both Your Husband and Yourself.. Just recently we went to Bass Pro Shop together without kids and were able to actually enjoy what they had.

Since it's Summer now, While the kids are napping swim together.

Head to the book store together and read books together.. Maybe glance at the Karma Sutra books... lol.

The Complete Illustrated Kama Sutra By Vatsyayana/ Dane, Lance (EDT)/ Dane, Lance

Instead of rushing through the Drive Through at your favorite coffee shop. Go in have a Mocha or Latte together and actually be able to enjoy your drink as well as your Husband.

Make a fantasy box.... Your Husband and Yourself each write down 10 fantasy's to play out. My Husband will kill me to know I am sharing this one lol, but it is fun to see what one another write down.

Have you ever seen the new show on Lifetime 7 Days of Sex.. Give that a try! You'll be surprised how much it really works!

Go "Zooing" it together. Without the chaos of your little ones running around.. You guys will be able to enjoy the animals more and read the fun facts about them.

Have a bon fire together on a cold summer night.. Make marshmallows or just cuddle and keep each other warm.

Take the time to write one another love notes. Or leave little messages for one another laying in around for your loved one to find.

Re-create a first date.. You can go all out and pretend it's the first time you two are meeting or just keep it simple and have your first date all over again.

Stay the night a Romantic Hotel near by. Light some candles and embrace each other.

Play footsie together under the table, while eating dinner.

Kiss one another out in public, even if you have the kids with you! Show others how in love you are!

Switch things up, instead of going to the same restaurant search new places to go and give it a try!

Play Xbox or Ps3 together. If you have Kinect or even Wii some of the games are good way for yall to practice team work. See if you can work well together!!

Paint a room together. We just painted our boys room, as well as ours.. and I didn't know how bonding painting can be!! Waste a little paint and have a paint fight together (not over board just a little bit on the nose or a brush of paint on their legs.)

Go see a movie together.. I know this is cliche!

Lay out and watch the stars together!

Learn new drink recipes and make them together!!

Pretend your in High school again. Every time you stop at red light kiss one another!

Share your passions and dreams with one another!!

Turn some Music on and Dance together.

Take some pictures of yourself that will attract your Husbands eyes! It doesn't have to be a sexual one.. just throw on one of his button downs and socks!

Make it a priority to kiss one another before bed and tell one another "I love you."

Regardless if you Have kids or not!! Spending time with one another and making each other feel wanted is a big deal.

YOUR NEVER TOO BUSY TO MAKE TIME FOR YOUR HUSBAND!

Making Room.

2012-06-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

Squeezing into my old room while growing up, my Husband and I have been trying to utilize what space we have.

Currently we are living with my Mom till My Husband figures out what the next steps he'll be taking in his career.

Since we weren't able to fit the Dresser I worked so hard on :(, we decided to buy these nifty under the bed storage containers to shelter our clothing and accessories.

Total we bought 4 which cost us 60 dollars I believe. Believe or not this idea was my Husbands.. Looks like he's been glancing over my shoulders while I am pinning away.

Going from a two bedroom two bath, to a three bedroom one bath is extremely hard. Especially since your use to your little family of four combining with your Mother and Your 23 y/o Brother!

It's rough, but for the next couple months we'll have to make do!

So since I am living in a home where we can paint, I am anxious to share with you the paint color I chose for our room.

The color I chose was called.. "Wicker Basket." I think it pops out the Country Chic aspect I am going for.

My Mom commented "Your the only 22 Year Old I know Breann, that has her room decorated like that." Whatever that means I don't know but I love it lol. It's peacefully and inviting

Summers Ear Treatment!

2012-06-06T09:10:00.002-07:00

With the pool ready and a new Bathing Suit in hand.. I am sure you can share the excitement that overwhelmed my body!!

Summers here and time to have bonfires, lay out by the pool, have BBQ's and I know on my Summer Bucket List going to Cedar Point is a must!! (After all we only live like 45-1hr away!)

Cedar Points Website.. If you haven't heard of the Park yet!

Any ways I am getting out of the purpose of this post.

Both boys took a nap and my Husband and I were able to experience some alone swimming time... Well to my Husband that means "Body Slam" me into the water! :( As soon as this happened instantly I could feel both my ears fill up with water..

Growing up Ear Infections and Swimmers Ear has always been a issue!

I managed to get one ear drained but the other was being stubborn.

Here is the trick I used to get my ear back to normal.

Fill the cap to the Hydrogen Peroxide up and slowly poor in ear (I hate the feeling of this part so my Husband has to hold me down and do it, or else it will never be done... lol it reminds of us trying to give our boys medicine)

Any ways, you want to make sure your laying in a relaxing position because, you'll be here for awhile!

Lay on your side for a good 15-20 mins meanwhile your going to hear popping and sizzling in ear... and maybe a bit of an itch.

Once done, flip your head so the ear filled with the peroxide is facing down now. Either hold a bowl or if you use a towel make sure you give it some space between your ear!

Let it drain for a bit and finish off my taking a towel and wiping your inner ear.

This method can also be used for ear infections and a way to get the inner ear wax out of the ear!

Have fun swimming!

E.L.F Makeup

2012-05-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

Recently I have grown a like for a makeup Brand being sold at Target. I am not sure whether or not it is being sold at other places, but like I said I do know it's at Target. The Brand is called E.L.F which stands for Eyes. Lips. Face.

This right here is my starting collection of their brand. I have also tried their cream eyeliner which I also Love, as well as their Lip Glosses which are only a Dollar!!

Any ways, they have amazing products for a reasonable price! I have very sensitive skin which breaks out to "cheaper" makeup and this product has yet to dry out my skin.

The E.L.F Website

Welcome Back/Carson's Birthday

2012-05-17T09:06:00.001-07:00

Wow! It has been awhile since my last post. My Husband just recently finished his years in the Military, so we have been so busy with the move! On top of that visiting Family and getting Birthday's out of the way! I apologize for the "break."

Speaking of, Carson is now Two and we Had his Yo Gabba Gabba Birthday Party. I will share some photo's :]

These are the cupcakes I made for the "Grandparent" party

On Carson's actual Birthday, The "Grandparent" party all of us wore a Yo Gabba Gabba Tattoo on faces

This is the cake My Husband and I made for Carson's Big Party. Along with the Gabba Land back drop

The Party Favors

About to sing, I tried to dress like Foofa for the Occasion.

The Birthday Game we made, The kids enjoyed playing

This is another picture of the "party favors"

Carson's party turned out to be such a wonderful time. All the hard work on the planning really paid off! :] If you have questions on how made any of things please let me know!

"It's a Love Story, Baby just say.... Yes"

2012-04-13T23:45:00.000-07:00

I just entered a chance to win a photo shoot, you wrote in your love story and from there it may or may not be chosen to be the winning won. Keep you fingers crossed my story wins.. My Husband and I really deserve some nice pictures of just the two of us.

I thought I would share Our Story with you Lovely people. I apologize for the grammar errors and the random mumble jumbles, for I am not a professional writer :]. I hope you enjoy reading it. Please feel free to share your Love story :]

Bellow is the story I sent in!

Hello There,

______ had sent me a link to your contest and I would like to tell you my own love story. I like to think of it as my own little Nicholas Sparks Novel.

May 10th 2008 was the first day I met eyes with my now Husband. He showed up to my Birthday Party with his friend that was mutual friends with me. I know this sounds totally cliche but, there was something about him that drew me towards him. I was giving him my undivided attention all night, wanting to know all about him.

At the end of the night, we had exchanged numbers and that was that. From that night on we became extremely close and I never felt so close to someone before nor wanted to give someone all my free time. We were in love but neither one wanted to be the first to say it.

Surprisingly in the month of February he had told me he had signed up from the Army and was headed to Basic Training in January. I had so much hate towards him, him allowing me to fall in love with him and then leaving me to join the service. Me being the supporter I am I encouraged his decision and praised him for passing the tests needed to join.

The day he left for Basic hit me hard, It was a cold snowy day (that turned into a blizzard.) I stayed over his house to snuggle up with him one last night, thinking that our new found love was over with. I still remember how nervous he was to kiss me goodbye and even told me he was sorry. I laid in bed that whole day in tears thinking I would never hear from him again (Seriously.)

In determination to keep our love strong. I wrote to him every night just to make sure there was a letter sent out to him every morning. So every day for 4 months he received a letter from me.I couldn't let this one go, I thought that if I showed how dedicated I was with our relationship and that we could work long distance, our love will never fade.

Graduation from Basic came and he soon was able to come back home on leave for two weeks. Never did I know that leave would change my whole life, on the day of May 14 2009, just one year of knowing him. He walked out of the shower and simply asked me "Would you like to get married?" While in Basic he had told me he will find a way to get me to WA with him, this was not what I thought he had in mind. I simply responded "Yes I will Marry you!"

We got our documents ready to get "Hitched" drove down to the court house and had a simple vow exchange on the side of the stair case in the court house. No rings, No Friends or Family, just Him and Myself. Two people madly in love both young, both shaking nervously in front of a complete stranger making such a big decision.

I waited patiently for a month to finally be able to move to where he was stationed and there, we were able to spend our first time together as Mr and Mrs. Two months into our marriage we got some good news shared with some bad. The good news was that we would be expecting our first child and the bad, that my New Husband would be deploying for Iraq in September. The month we had left together went by so fast and soon it was time to send him away on that blue painted school bus to an "unknown" world we only here bad things about on the News.

Being left behind pregnant tore me up inside, I didn't want my Husband and now the Father to my Unborn Baby in harms way. I went nine long months being pregnant without being able to share any ultrasounds, lamaze classes or anything pregnancy related with my lover my by side. Lamaze classes would have me in tears looking around seeing all the proud Fathers rubbing their babies through their Mommy's stomachs.

April 29th the original due date for my little one... Our little one whom was a boy that we would be naming Carson. April 27th the scheduled C-Section I had planed since my "big" baby was 10 lbs 4 oz. April 24th Carson decided to come early so early, that I wasn't able to share such a precious moment with Husband. My Husband was just 3 hrs shy of missing the birth of our son.

My Husband went 6 months without seeing his son. His departure date to come back home was for mid April.

My son and I packed up all of our stuff and moved cross Country to get a home situated before my Husband got home (During my Husbands deployment I moved back home, I didn't want to do a pregnancy alone). I will never forget the way I felt when I received my phone call from the Army telling me I was going to be reunited with Husband in so many hours. (I forgot I think it was 12 hrs or something.)

We sat in a crowded gymnasium filled with Wives, Children , Happy Parents and Family members holding up signs and crying with tears of joy knowing they will soon be holding their loved ones in their arms again.

The screen stopped playing the Disney movie they had playing for the children and a live footage of our soldiers landing came on. The room filled with cheers and tears of joys. Our men were finally home! From then we waited about two more hours... The Gym doors opened and in Marches our Men, this is when my tears started. Once they cleared us to go find our loved ones I dashed off holding my son in my arms on a search to find my husband and hold in my arms once again... The moment of both pride, happiness, and all the good feelings you can get overwhelmed my body!

5 months of my Husband being home we found out that at the age of 20 and my Husband 21 we will be having a second baby.. That gives our kids about a 9 month gap between ages. Cayden Christopher was born November First, 2011. This time with my Husband by my side and our oldest boy waiting patiently to greet his new brother.

In May my Husband and I will married for 3 years. And we'll have known each other for four years. This month my Husband will be getting out of the Army and we'll be heading back home to start a new chapter in our lives. Hopefully a big wedding we were never able to have!! :]

So within 3 years, we have experienced a deployment, and two pregnancies. My Husband and I are still just as in love as we were the first day we met, if anything our love has grown stronger.Raising two Babies alone with no "Husband and Wive" time has been hard on the both of us. So if we win this photo, I feel it will help make up for all the times my Husband and I have lost out on spending one on one time together and the "engagement" photos we never got to experience.

Thank you for taking the time in reading my Love Story. I am sorry for all the grammar errors and it being such a long story. I hope you enjoyed reading it!

Breann

I love reading about other love stories

Our first son, Mr Carson

Welcoming Cayden into the World

These picture's were us being reunited after his Deployment

Before we went to the hospital to give birth to our second boy

Stuffed Tomato & Basil Feta Pork chops

2012-04-11T21:50:00.004-07:00

What You'll Need

4 Boneless Pork Chops

4 oz Athenos Tomato & Basil Feta Cheese

1 cup Baby Spinach Leaves Chopped

Olive Oil

Pepper to Taste

Drizzle the skillet with the olive and let it Preheat over a Medium heat.

Finely chop the Spinach and mix it in with Feta Cheese

Trim the fat off each Pork chop

Followed by Butterfly cutting them

Stuff Each Pork chop with the Feta Spinach Mixture

Two at a time place the Pork chops in the skillet and brown each side. One side for 6 min and the other for about 2.

Unless your pro at cooking. After my Pork chops are finished I put them in a Baking Dish and put them in the Oven the "warm" setting while I make my side dish .

I made Garlic Mashed Potatoes as my side which complimented the Pork chops well.

I wish I could say I made them from scratch, but with us in the process of moving I used boxed Mashed Potatoes and added Some Garlic and Plain Crumbs into them.

Facebook Timeline Covers

2012-04-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

With Facebook having it's new Time line feature I have been hearing a lot complaints of people not liking it. To help out a bit I made free headers for your time line. Every Tuesday I'll try and create something new for users to be able to grab use :]

Just click on the image to enlarge it, and from there right click on it and save it to your computer. Then upload it to your Facebook Timeline Cover! If there is any certain designs yall want let me know :] Enjoy!

Pork-chop Mozzarella

2012-04-10T01:08:00.000-07:00

:Ingredients:

24 oz Classico Four Cheese Pasta Sauce

15 oz Classico Four Cheese Alfredo

1 lb Box of Barilla Penne Noodles

1 Packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1 1/2 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs

1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese/ or Grated Parmesan

1 Whisked Egg

4 Medium Sized Boneless Pork-chops

Pork chop

Preheat the Oven to 350. Trim the fat off of the meat

In two separate dishes add the Onion Mix and Bread Crumbs into one, and the Whisked Egg in the other.
Coat the Pork Chop in the whisked egg. Followed by the the bread crumb mixture.

Place the Pork Chops in a baking pan and pour over half the Four Cheese Alfredo. Cover with Aluminum Foil and bake for 45-50 min. Or until the center is no longer pink.

During the last 5 minutes sprinkle over the Mozzarella or Parmesan Cheese and Bake Uncovered for the remainder of the time. This time I used Parmesan Cheese because, I didn't have Mozzarella Cheese so I improvised.

Noodles

While the Pork chops are baking. Boil the Noodles until Tender in a Shallow Pan.

When the Noodles are finished Drain.

Add the remaining Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce and the Four Cheese Pasta Sauce in the Pan and mix together. Once finished stir in the Noodles.

After the Pork Chops and Noodles place on a Dish and top with Parmesan Cheese. If you have Kale handy sprinkle some on add, it adds a nice mild flavor.

Super Moist Easter Bunny Cake

2012-04-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Every year it was a tradition of my Mom's to make her "famous" Easter Bunny Cake. Two years away from home for Easter and already going one year without her cake, I decided this year I had to make it, so that I can start this tradition with my family.

For the cake I decided to make a super moist Funfetti Cheesecake It's very simple to make and comes out tasting amazing.

Here is what you'll need.

A box of Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix
1 oz Jello Instant Pudding Cheese Cake flavor
1 8 oz container of Sour Cream
3 Eggs
1/3 cup Melted Butter
3/4 cup Milk

Preheat your oven for 350 degrees.

Lightly spray two 9 inch circular pans. I used a 9 inch and I think a 8 inch (sorry) so that way the ears turn out larger than the face.

Add all your ingredients into a large bowel and mix well. The batter will be thicker than your usual so don't be alarmed if your's looks different from usual.

Scoop your batter into the greased pans and bake for 35 min. Or until you are able to stick a knife in it and it comes out clear.

Once your cakes are done baking, take them out of the oven and allow them time to cool completely.

Once cooled take you larger cake and cut two "ears" on each side leaving a "bow like" shape in the center of them.

Flip your cakes carefully over onto a cooking dish to form a bunny face and it's bow tie.

To make the frosting look like fur I cut a small hole on one of tips of a sandwich bag and starting to make dots all over the bunny.

I found it easiest to squeeze a little harder toward the bottom of the circle and gently pull up. I hope I explained well enough to help.

The finished Bunny. For the tie I just applied the frosting as you would normally to give it a texture than the fur. My Mom uses Twizzlers for the bunny's whiskers and Jelly Beans as the eyes.

The inside of the cake.

ENJOY!

Coupon Book for Your Lover!

2012-04-05T14:11:00.001-07:00

I always wanted to make my Husband a Coupon Book. I have seen them in stores but their just not as personal as a homemade one.

Here is what I came up with.

When I gave it to him, I told him like all Coupons this book has rules and regulations. They included your not allowed to use two coupon in one day, after one week the coupons can restart, and I recommended for him not to write on the "freebie" coupons so that way he can always change them up.

Another thing I thought would be fun is to constantly add new pages to this book. See if he is really paying attention ;)

I took pictures of each "coupon" so that you can get some ideas.

"I will even join in" the computer cut out part of the J

I added my own message on the back. My Husband has served 3 years in the Army and has just got out, so I thought I'd address this Coupon book towards that.

I used Photoshop Elements to make create each coupon, when I printed them out I selected the 4x6 print option. I then cut each Coupon out and glued them on the back of large index cards with a glue stick! :]

Dollar Store Easter Basket Makeover

2012-04-05T01:01:00.000-07:00

After seeing the prices of Character Easter baskets I wasn't willing to pay the price for something my boys will grow out of. So I went to the Dollar Store and picked out these baskets.

Both cute,but I felt that they were missing something. A personal touch of their own.

My boys have thousands of receiving blankets so I didn't think it would hurt to use two of them for some decorations.

I am not much of a sewer so I just used hot glue to glue the fabric into place.

here is the final product. I have an almost 2 year and a 5 month old. My eldest is a big animal lover so the printed blanket I used has Lions, Hippos and Alligators on it. Sometimes I wish my boys were twins because even though they are different ages I love to make them match!! So I matched their basket but just opposite colors.

And since I am not that big of a fan on my 23 month old son having candy I came up with some non-candy ideas to fill his basket.

What I came up with was,

Fizzy Tub Colors 99cents each.
A Dino Fizzer (I guess the Egg is suppose "hatch" my son saw it and loved it lol) also 99 cents.
A Sponge Bob tooth brush and toothpaste total like 6 dollars
A Joker and Batman Fisher Price Little wheelies on sale at Target for 1.30 each originally like 4 dollars.
A pair of Elmo socks. Targets dollar bin (LOVE THEIR DOLLAR BINS!)
Nutter Butter Go pack. 1 dollar
Teddy Grahams Go pack. 1 dollar.
Cars Cheez-its that I Made into a "carrot shaped"

And for my 5 Month old

Teeth and Read Bright stars book. 4 dollars
Activity Cube by Garnimals. (Walmart) 7 dollars
And of course he has to have something match his brother.. a pair of Elmo socks found for a dollar in the Target dollar bin.

I am going to add one of those Razberry teether in it too. You can find them at Babies R Us for like 4 dollars.

This is what it looks like. I highly suggest this teether. Both my sons have found great relieve from teething using this thing. You'll get good use out of it Carson used his from 5 months-9 months.

While were on the topic I also suggest this teether as well. Sophie is 20 dollars at Babies R Us again both boys love(d) her. Still till this day Carson walks around chewing her. Cayden can't leave the house without her.

Both together :] I cannot wait for Easter Sunday!

Forgot to mention their Name tags. I bought these at Walmart for 99 cents and just added stickers to finish their names. To seal the stickers in place I applied a couple coats of Mod Podge on top :]

Re-purpose torn children's books.

2012-04-04T10:35:00.001-07:00

Carson has had these two books since he was first born and now that their ripped, to me they hold way to much sentiment to get rid of. Pondering what I could do with them before using the throw away option I came up with a solution.

I could also re-purpose an old coffee ground tin by, making our own "storage tin"

All you need for this project is Mod Podge, a paint brush, scissors and something to pour your Mod Podge into.

Start off by letting your little one choose the images that catch their eye. Then cut them out.

With myself on close stand by, I allowed Carson to paint the backs of each image with the paste and with my help we placed them on together.

After you have covered you whole tin, paint the Mod Podge over the images. allow first coats time to dry and reapply

The amount of coats are up to you and the age of your children (The reason why I say that is because if there isn't a good amount of coats and you have a younger one, they can rip the images off still) I used about three coats and I felt it was enough protection.

Finished outcome

Now you have a perfect storage to either display stuffed animals or like we ended up doing store loose books :]

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Copycat Recipe

2012-04-03T20:50:00.002-07:00

I think it's safe to say, pretty much everyone loves the warm delicious biscuits Red Lobster serves.

Why not make those delightful sides at home? If that sounds like something your interested in trying your just in luck, I have a recipe to share for you!

As usual I have to tempt you with the picture first... Yummy Right?

Here are the ingredients needed to create your very own.

Biscuits.

2 1/2 cups All Purpose Baking Mix
4 Tbs Cold Butter
1 Heaping cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese Crumbled.
3/4 Cold Milk
1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder.

Topping

2 Tbs Melted Butter
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 Tsp Dried Parsley Flakes
Food brush (This makes it easier to apply the butter mixture.)

Start off by preheating your oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the All Purpose Baking Mix, with the Cold butter.

The butter should be pea size after mixing. Next add the Cheese.. Mix by HAND.

Mixing by hand keeps the ingredients the size they need to be in order for the biscuits to bake properly

Once done make the dough into balls big enough to allow you to create 12.

Set in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the biscuits are a beautiful light brown color.

The last 3 min of baking is the best time to prepare the topping mixture.

Put the butter in a microwave safe bowel and let the butter melt. (In my Microwave 20 seconds gets it just right)

My Husband and I double the topping ingredients to give the biscuits extra flavor. (optional but you won't be sorry if you do!)

Once the butter is melted stir in the Parsley Flakes and Garlic butter.

So times up, the biscuits are done. As soon as you take them out of the oven brush the tops of them with the butter and that's it! You've got yourself a Cheddar Bay Biscuit that tastes just as good as Red Lobsters.

Pair it with The Olive Gardens Zuppa Toscana Copycat soup and You've got yourself a 5 star meal!

Olive Garden's Copycat Zuppa Toscana Recipe

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Copycat Recipe

2012-04-03T20:22:00.001-07:00

If you haven't tried Olive Garden's Zuppa Soup yet your totally missing out!! Luckily you stopped here because I have a recipe that tastes just like theirs.

This is going to be a pretty long post, sorry. Well worth it though I promise!!

let me start you off with a picture to tempt you in.. is your mouth watering yet?? If so read on for the recipe.

What you'll need.

1 lb Spicy Italian Sausage (crumbled)
1/2lb Smocked Bacon (when I made mine with Bacon it didn't really make a difference to the taste so now when I make it I leave it it out, this is optional though!)
1 quart water
2 15 oz Canned Chicken Broth, or one 32 oz Chicken Broth.
2 Garlic Cloves
1 medium onion chopped
2 cups chopped kale
1 pack of Dry Hidden Valley Ranch
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream (or one 12oz can of evaporated milk, same taste less calories!!)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Brown Sausage

Cook Bacon

Place the Water, Chicken Broth, Potatoes, Garlic and Onion in a pot. Let it simmer over medium heat until the Potatoes are tender.

Helpful hint cut your potato with an apple slicer it will cut your cutting time in half :]

While your waiting for your potatoes to soften now is a great time to get the other ingredients ready

I usually start by cutting the Kale. To make the process faster I take a couple of Kale Leafs and pinch them together and chop them from top to bottom. I don't add the part that doesn't have the leafs.

Now I "crumble" the sausage. To make it easier for myself I take tongs and use the sides to crumble the links.

Set the Kale and Sausage aside and by now the Broth should be ready for the next step.

So now it's time to add the Sausage and Bacon (again I don't add bacon to mine because it doesn't add a difference to the taste.) Let the mixture simmer for about 10 min.

Ok so 10 min has come and gone and now your soup is just about complete. All you have to do now is add the Dry Ranch and Evaporated milk (or Heavy Whipping Cream)

Usually I take the pot off the burner and allow the soup some time to cool off.. you'll notice from all the simmering the soup takes, it ends up being really hot.

And Wa-la! You have your very own Zuppa Toscana, I highly recommend adding Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits as a side to compliment the soup... Which I will be posting the Copy cat recipe for that shortly, so stay tuned.

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits Copycat Recipe

A day at the Beach.

2012-04-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

With summer approaching we are very anxious to get out to the beach. Until then we figured we can improvise by bringing the beach indoors.. in a smaller version :]

Trying to think how I can put this concept together, it finally kicked me. Brown sugar as the sand and a little bit of blue colored water for the "ocean/lake." That way if my little guy so happened to put it in his mouth it wouldn't taste yucky or be bad for him. (besides the sugary part).

I took a 9x13 casserole dish and loaded one of the sides with brown sugar and the other water with a couple drops of blue food coloring. This look really pretty till I moved it into the dining room and the brown sugar mixed into the water.

So this is going to be messy so be sure to lay something down before you let kiddo join in. I lined my dining room table with plastic wrap.

Once everything was ready I grabbed some of Carson's bath toys and let him enjoy "the beach" he LOVED it! :]

We even dumped some brown sugar on the table and made "sand castles"

Trying to pat the sand for the castle

Also the Bath was good bribe to get him away from the "beach" Carson loves bath time!

This is going to get messy, so I recommend doing this before bath time.

And what's a day at the beach without "ice cream?" (Frozen Greek yogurt, very good 70 calories with 6 grams of protein!! I found them at Costco 9 dollars for a 12 pack)

Pesky Crayon Stains on the Wall

2012-04-02T15:10:00.001-07:00

Carson was at it again man and this time, it wasn't the couch... it was all over the walls!!
Carson's furniture art...and how I got it off

This time he managed to color all over the walls by his play table.

So there goes his artwork, the wall. I guess he was telling me as I was cleaning it off it was an "Elephant" if you squint just right I guess you can see it,lol.

So I am sure you heard of the ol' baking soda idea? If not mix equal amounts of baking soda and water to make a toothpaste like substance.

all you do is dip the tooth brush into the mixture and scrub the area in a circular motion.

after a while of scrubbing the crayon came off however with my walls being white, it "painted" my walls orange (the color of the crayon)

So the baking soda idea worked with but still sort of left the stain so....

It was time to bust out the hairspay!! (hairspray works wonders with a lot!)

Spray the area with the hairspray. and using the tooth brush scrub in circular motions (ok so not scrub hard core just a little scrub!)

Scrubbing the area with the hairspray took out the crayon with no smudges. (I did go back through with the baking soda one last time to help clean it up a bit though, but it got out 98% of the crayon)

and there you go the stain is gone!