The Vanilla Tulip

Coming on Monday...

2012-02-15T11:11:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday friends!
I am so excited to share with you what I've been working on the past month.

I am re-opening my shop with new products.
The main product being decorative pillow covers.

Here is a sample of what you will be finding when the shop opens on Monday morning!

I am working with Molly who blogs at The Story of Us and who owns Tank and Tink to hopefully have the new blog up and running by the end of the weekend! She is a jewel to work with!!!

Also as soon as it's up and running I have a wonderful photographer who I can't wait to introduce you to!

And last but not least.... once the blog is finished I will begin the "Thrifty Thoughts" posts.
I'm thinking of doing a weekly link-up in the next month or so where we can all join forces in sharing

ways we can save $$$ and be thrifty! :)

Hope your Wednesday is going great!

Sweet day

2012-02-14T21:03:00.000-08:00

Our day started off with boxes of chocolates before breakfast...

Someone was a tad bit upset he didn't receive his own box of chocolates...

Good thing he has his big sister wrapped around his finger :)

We spent the majority of the day in our jammies doing Valentines crafts and playing.

I know I say it often but I can't get enough of these kind of days.

Sweet days where there is no place that we need to be.

Days where my main job is to love on my three little people.

I am so thankful for my big Valentine, Trav :)

So incredibly thankful for a man who loves and cherishes me.
A man who loves me to be home doing what I love.

I love you Travis!!!

We fed the kids an early dinner and popped them into bed early too.

We spent our evening curled up on the couch watching a movie and eating dinner.
My favorite kind of date :)

___________________________________________________________________ I'm off to bed.I'll be back tomorrow with an update on some changes in the blog and my shop! Hope your day was great!I'd love to hear about it :)

Monday thoughts...

2012-02-13T11:40:00.000-08:00

I've decided the state of my home on a Monday is a good indicator of the type of weekend we had.
Monday mornings that start with a clean home and laundry up to speed means we spent the weekend home.

Not a bad thing.
I love being home :)
But typically we didn't go anywhere or do anything thus giving me time to do housework.

Monday mornings that start with a messy home, unpacked bags and laundry piles the size of Mount

Everest indicate a great weekend of going and doing :)

We had a last minute one of those weekends.

On Friday Trav called me from work telling me to pack our bags we were headed to the city

for a last minute date night.

His mom is always so gracious to watch the kids last minute!!!
Thankyou Tricia :)

We started the night off with dinner at our favorite mexican food restaurant.

The restaurant was located near the hospital where my babies were born.
After dinner we decided to walk around the hospital awhile.
Annnnddd we may or may not have found our way up to the baby floor to peep in the

windows at the newborn babies :)
I seriously could stand there all day watching them!
We had so much fun reminiscing about when each of our babes was born :)

On Saturday we started off with a yummy breakfast with the kids' Nan and Pop.

And ran a few errands...including a haircut for Colt and Target.

After a busy day of going and going we headed back home.
The weather has turned super cold here which I am loving!
Trav started a fire when we got home and we all curled up with pizza and a movie.

These are my favorite frozen pizzas from Walmart.
Have you tried them?
$4.95!

Sunday morning we headed out for church bright and early.

After church it was home for naps and then relaxing.I happened to check the weather (which I never do) and saw that wewere forcasted to get our first snow of the season!We woke up this morning to the TINIEST amount of snow.You had to squint to see it around the trees in our yard.
But at least it was snow :)
The kids were so excited!

The plan for our day was to be cozied up all day working on laundry and house cleaning.After breakfast I had settled all three down in front of a movie while I got ready to hop in the shower.Right as I was getting in our electricity went out.:)

We ended up hopping in the car and heading to town.
A trip to Sonic and the library were the perfect time burners until it came back on!

We're back home now.The electricity is back on.
Kids are all tucked in for naps.It's time for me to catch up on my Monday chores :)How was your weekend?

Sponsor Spotlight & Giveaway- A Punk, A Pumpkin & A Peanut

2012-02-12T11:56:00.000-08:00

Today I am featuring another one of my sweet sponsors!
Carina blogs over at A Punk, A Pumpkin and A Peanut.
She's also having a fun giveaway... read on to find out more!

______________________________________________________________

Hello there! I am Carina and I am a mama, hair stylist, artist, thrifter, and writer.
I have three little men that keep me on my toes and we're in the process of adopting a baby girl.

Life is full of blessings, and I try my hardest to see them through all moments of life.

That's what my blog is to me: a place to remember to be thankful, to share things in love (and hopefully with a little humor), and just be me.

I blog about adoption and faith and parenting, but you'll also find recipes and thrift store finds and my endless house projects, and maybe a craft or two.

I am thankful for this life I've been given.

As long as I have Jesus and a strong cup of coffee, I can tackle most any day.

I hope you'll join me on my journey! Stop by and say hello :)

You can find Carina over here...

___________________________________________________________________

Carina is giving away a brooch of your choice from her shop!

It can also be made into a hairpiece if you prefer!

To enter:

You must be a follower of both The Vanilla Tulip and A Punk, A Pumpkin and A Peanut to enter.
Once you've followed both leave ONE comment letting me know you've done so!

The winner will be announced February 18th.

Rustik Chic Winner!!!

2012-02-12T11:40:00.000-08:00

The winner of the $30 credit to Rustik Chic is.....

Stephanie!!!
E-mail me and we'll get you hooked up :)

Sponsor Spotlight- This Vintage Grove

2012-02-11T20:20:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to introduce one of my fabulous sponsors to you today!
Danavee over at This Vintage Grove!

Seriously...isn't her name the best? :)

Head on over and tell her hello!!!

_______________________________________________________________________

Hello there! I'm Danavee from "This Vintage Grove". I live in Missouri with my two loves, the Mister and our mutt, Sir Chester. I am a fourth grade teacher that dreams of owning an antique shop devoted to home decor and design. But since I still teach, I get my antique shop fix by having a small booth at a local antique mall. I'm an avid thrifter (and hoarder) with a love for all things shabby and vintage. The Mister and I enjoy sprucing up our little fixer upper one room at a time, attempting to DIY as many projects as possible.

This Vintage Grove is a way to record and share our home improvement efforts, with a ton of other stuff thrown in the mix. Recipes, my attempts at being fashionable, thrifting finds, home decor, and other randomness. I hope you drop by and stay awhile!

Grandma's Birthday 2012

2012-02-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Grandma (Mom)!!!

We love you and wish we could be there to celebrate with you today :)

Here is your traditional birthday shoot :)

*There may or may not have been a super hero pooping on my camera at this point...*

2011

2010

2009

2008

Potato Stamps

2012-02-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

Last week we tried our hand at potato stamps.

Have you ever made them?

I remember making them as a child but hadn't ever done them with my littles.

They were a hit!

Basically you just cut a potato in half.

Then with the end of your knife trace a pattern.

After your pattern is traced cut away the potato from the outside of the pattern.

And voila!

I'd like to try them again when the kids are napping and I can concentrate on my cutting :)

They were so excited that it turned into more hacking at my potato than carving.

_______________________________________________________________

I'm super excited because next week will hopefully be the launch of the new blog and the shop!

And with that will also start up the new Thrifty Thoughts feature.

My plan is to have a Thrifty Thoughts post once...maybe twice a week.

I am currently making a list of topics to touch base on.

What are some things you'd like to know more about?

I for one would love to know more about couponing...

so I will be having someone who coupons do a guest post on that day :)

Hope the first half of your week was great!

Here's to a great second half and weekend!!!

Being Intentional- Finances

2012-02-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

This is really Part Four of the Being Intentional Series.
Although I've skipped Part Three.
It was to have been "Being Intentional with your children."

I feel like I have talked about that in several other posts.
So I'm moving on to the last one.
Finances :)

As most of you know we are a one income family.

I am so thankful for a husband who works hard to support us.
My job as a stay-at-home wife is to make sure I am using the money that he

is providing for us to the best of my ability.
This past year I have really been praying about what that looks like for our family.
How could I be more intentional with our finances?

In the fall I sat down with his total salary.
I divided it up by month.
Then by day.

Then by hour.

Then by minute.

I know exactly what my husband is making every minute.
This was huge for me.

When I went to the store I wouldn't just throw something unncessary in the cart.

Why?
Because I knew that _________ object would take him __________ minutes/hours to work for.

Totally not worth it.
See? :)

I am trying to be more intentional about products/items our family uses around the house.
For example... normally I would throw an almost tube of toothpaste away

because I was too lazy to squeeze the rest out.
Now, I squeeze every last drop out.
And some of you may be thinking...oh brother..you're kidding!
Ha! I realize it may be a little extreme.
But I know that Trav works so hard throughout the week...
I want to do my best here at home as well.

Another example would be with our electricity and water.
When we're not in the room I make it a point to turn the lights off.
When the weather is beautiful I open the windows.

When I don't have a full load of laundry I don't run the washer.
When I don't have a full dishwasher load I don't run it.
Little changes like this can eventually add up to big savings!

The biggest way that I am trying to become more intentional

with our finances is through our shopping.

In the next few weeks I will go into detail about my shopping trips.
How I make my lists.
How I shop my pantry first.

I am also trying to become more intentional in the clothing that I purchase for my family.
I was putting clean clothes away last week and noticed how many unworn clothes

are hanging in my kids' closets.
I was telling Travis tonight that I am going to rethink their summer wardrobe before I purchase it.
My mom always said "less is best".

And I couldn't agree with her more!

_________________________________________________________________

I'm working on organizing the blog and getting a few new features put up.
One of which is a new feature called "Thrifty Thoughts".
I really want to encourage you that living resourcefully doesn't have to be dull and a bummer.
It can be fun and creative!
Not spending any money and using what is in your house really can be fun!
And yes I'm being dead serious :)

Hang with me as I iron out a few details and get the blog organized.

Have a great Wednesday!

White Queso

2012-02-07T07:11:00.000-08:00

My friend Robyn over at The Farmer's Nest posted this recipe last week!

I tweaked ours a bit...so the recipe I'm posting is the adjusted one.

Head over to her blog to see the original!!!

WHITE QUESO

Ingredients

1 large box of Kraft Queso Blanco (white velveeta)

1 lb. hamburger

2 Tbsp. cumin

1/2 can rotel

1 bunch of cilantro

1 small onion

3-4 tomatoes

Direction

I started by browning my burger.

Season it well with salt, pepper and 1 Tbsp of cumin.

After the burger is browned put it in your food processor or blender to make it fine.

Put your white cheese and burger into your crockpot on low.

Chop up your cilantro, onion and tomatoes.

Then put them in your food processor/blender to make even finer!

Toss those into the crockpot.

I then used 1/2 a can of rotel for a little spiciness.

Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of cumin into the crockpot and stir everything together.

I let it cook on low for about 1 hour and it was ready!!!

_________________________________________________________________

And if for some reason you aren't in the mood for queso...

head on over to Robyn's blog anyways:)

It's one of my favorites!

She too is a stay at home wife to a football coach in Texas :)

Have a great Tuesday!

Favorite

2012-02-06T07:38:00.000-08:00

Favorite breakfast around here.

Eaten at least three times a week.

Favorite mom lunch.

Favorite little people by their favorite window.

Favorite go-to party food.

Favorite nail polish in my favorite color.

Essie Turquoise & Caicos

Favorite Bible verse written in my home.

Favorite mug and favorite morning view.

_________________________________________________________________

How was your weekend?

Did you watch the Super Bowl?

Man....I am so excited to share the BEST queso recipe

and the BEST chicken enchilada recipe with you this week!
Seriously...out of control good :)

Have a great Monday friends!

Rustik Chic Giveaway

2012-02-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to introduce the last sponsor of the weekend... Rustik Chic!

______________________________________________________________

Hi:) I'm Krista from Rustik Chic. My shop is an eclectic mix of vintage belts, buttons, jewelry, ribbon, and lace...upcycled into one of kind leather cuffs and accessories. Each piece is handmade and adorned with handpicked vintage items to create you a truly unique piece of vintage charm. I love combining the rustic, old, worn vintage leather with the chic, feminine vintage pretties...I LOVE the contrast and I hope you all do too! I imagine each vintage item has a story to tell...

Rustik Chic is a new endeavor for me . I have a blog called The Gathering Place Design where I share home decorating, and ideas on how to make your house your home. It has been a great creative outlet for me, but I have grown so much this last year I now feel inspired to express myself on a more personal level, and share some of my other interests and insights. Rustik Chic gives me an avenue to do this, but I'm not going to lie, it scares me a little... So I'm easing in a bit. We'll see how it goes;)

I love everything decorating and design. I love to create something out of what seems like nothing and my mom installed the thrill of a bargain in me at a very young age. I love antique furniture and all things pretty. I am a romantic and a sucker for a good 'happily ever after'. I love the rain and I have a small obsession with fireplaces & mantels. Rain and fireplaces together?...even better! I am a cosmetologist by trade who was raised in the beauty biz. I love playing with fashion and hair just as much as I love decorating. I also enjoy a good Pinot Noir, coffee, good food, good music, daydreaming, laughs, and quirky comedies(which I then enjoy quoting;).

I have an amazing {crazy} family who loves & supports me unconditionally and I am lucky enough to be married to the man of my dreams... who is also my very best friend! I am momma to two beautiful, amazing little girls who inspire me to be my best self...they are my world! :)

_____________________________________________________________________

Krista is generously giving away a $30 credit to Rustik Chic!

To enter:
You must be a follower of The Vanilla Tulip.

AND

You must be a follower of Rustik Chic.

Leave ONE comment letting me know you've done both!

The winner will be announced on Friday!

__________________________________________________________

You can find Krista and Rustik Chic here...

Saturday Sponsor- By Erin Lauray

2012-02-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

Today I am introducing a few of my sponsors!
This afternoon is Erin from by erin Lauray!
_________________________________________________________________

Hello! I'm Erin and I blog at by erinLauray about parenthood, love, life, and my soon-to-be-opening web design business (coming June 1st!)! I am a stay-at-home mom to a 2 year old little girl and am about to greet a little boy come April. :) My husband and I live in Dallas, TX but in 2 short weeks from now, we will be making the long trip home to Phoenix, AZ -- the place where all our family lives and where we grew up. The Lord has truly blessed us in this venture and we are so excited to go home!

A little about my blog and business :: Last year, I opened an Etsy shop selling different handmade items like zipped pouches, a tote bag or two, felt flower pins, and even a few jewelry items. I was "going with the flow" so to speak by trying to just have an Etsy shop like some of the talented and amazing blog friends I have. I quickly learned that if God was going to use me in this bloggie universe, I would have to let Him lead the direction of my business. Trying to do what someone else was doing was just not cutting it for me. I began praying and felt the push towards something that I've always loved and dreamed of doing as a job -- web design. I love designing blogs (ask Ashley, I changed my layout every other month it seemed!) and always felt that doing that for a living was something someone that had formal schooling could do. Not a self-taught stay-at-home-mommy like me. But the thought and idea of it kept nagging at me. Finally, I talked to my husband and after praying more and more, I signed up for some small one-month classes online. On January 1st (literally minutes after the ball dropped for the New Year), I prayed for the coming year and my business idea. I prayed the Lord would open doors and show me if this was the right path for me and that this year, the Lord would bless my business ventures. I can honestly say, He never left ANY room for doubt that web design was the way He wanted me to go, because here I am, just one month later, with a major blog design project about to launch, a logo design completed, and three others blog designs scheduled to be finished before the end of February!! And my shop isn't even open yet!

If there is one thing I have learned about blogging and owning and operating a small business its that if you try and do what others are doing, you're going to get burnt out and fail. You have to do what is your passion and look at it like a business and not like a hobby you want to make money off of. And if you have faith, praying and letting God lead surely does help :)

Thanks, Ashley, for having me today!!

_____________________________________________________________

You can also find Erin here...

Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/erinlauray

Twitter- https://twitter.com/#!/ErinLauray

Take the Cannoli Winner

2012-02-04T07:02:00.000-08:00

The winner of the Take The Cannoli giveaway is....

Rhonda Smith!!!!!!!!

Saturday Sponsor- Lil Noodle Bug

2012-02-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today I would like to introduce you to a few of my sponsors!
First up is Courtney from Lil Noodle Bug!
____________________________________________________________________

Hi. I am Courtney! The 3 most important people in my life are my hubby and 2 wonderful kiddos. I consider myself a spiritual person and try every day to be the best person I can possibly be. The only thing I drink other than water is Dr. Pepper and to say I am obsessed is an understatement. I am NOT a morning person, I have tried and it just never works out. I have always been creative, but never pursued it as a full time endeavor until about 1 year ago. I love planning events, surprising others with unexpected gifts and meeting new people. My life is just like anybody else’s I have ups and downs and I use my blog to express myself. The blogging community has been incredibly supportive and I look forward to making new lifelong friends. At the end of the day, I am a very simple person and all I truly need in life is God, Love, my Family, and of course Cute Shoes and Accessories!

__________________________________________________________

You can find Courtney here...

Blog- http://www.lilnoodlebug.com/
Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/LilNoodleBug

Pinterest- http://pinterest.com/lilnoodlebug/

Twitter- https://twitter.com/#%21/LilNoodleBug

Shop- http://lilnoodlebug.storenvy.com/

Bloglovin- http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/3028462/lil-noodle-bug/follow

This and That

2012-02-03T13:45:00.000-08:00

Just a little bit of this and that to wrap up the week.....

______________________________________________________________

This week seemed to fly by!
The weather here has been so incredibly beautiful!
I've had my windows open all week long.
We've spent every day playing outside soaking in the sunshine!

A few days ago we headed to the park and brought along our picnic lunch.

I love these sweet moments....

happy babies, pb&j sandwiches and the sunshine!

______________________________________________________________

I'm excited to share a few of my new sponsor with you this weekend!
Every Saturday I will feature a few of them throughout the day.
Make sure to check out their blogs... I think you'll be encouraged :)

____________________________________________________________

I was so honored to be contacted by Earth911 this past week..
They featured my Fried (baked) Pickles and Cilantro Lime Ranch in an article they posted.

You can find my recipe plus a few other tasty Super Bowl recipes here.

_______________________________________________________________

This weekend I'm planning on making The Pioneer Womans Sticky Pecan Mini-Buns.

Have any you tried this recipe?

I think they look SO GOOD!!!

Annnnnnd after I eat my fair share of sticky buns I will then do my dvd workout...

ever done this one?
It seriously kicks my booty.

I started it at the beginning of the week and have been hobbling around with sore muscles since.
If you're looking for a good dvd I would highly suggest this one!

_______________________________________________________________

I have an anonymous commenter who leaves random comments every now and then.

I'm pretty sure it's the same person because their comments always have to do with

wanting to see me finish up different posts I said I was going to do.

This past week anonymous said...

"you never finish anything you start. If you say your going to do something...do it."

Ahhh my anonymous friend :)

I am not in the least bit offended.
Whoever you are... you are right :)
I read the comment to Travis and we both got a good laugh out of it.
Why?
Because it's SO TRUE!
I am the worst at starting something and then getting side tracked and move on to something else.
So...whoever you are....
I am going to finish up my "Intentional Series" next week :)
Just for you ;)
And also because it will feel nice to complete something for a change :)

_____________________________________________________________

I think that's about all the "this and that" that I have!
What's up for your weekend?
Hope it's a good one :)

No Sew Clip-on Bowtie Tutorial

2012-01-31T18:33:00.000-08:00

I love dressing my boys up in bowties!

A few weeks ago I had posted about making them for our church pictures.

A few of you mentioned you wished you knew how to.

So, here it is ladies :)

They're SUPER inexpensive.

All you will need is a very small piece of fabric, hot glue and an alligator clip.

All of this can be found at your local craft store.

Happy bowtie making!

*excuse the next typo* :)

______________________________________________________________

Make sure to enter yesterdays giveaway!!

If you have any questions about the tutorial please ask away!

End of January Giveaway!

2012-01-30T18:41:00.000-08:00

Oooo you guys are in for a treat today!!!
If you haven't the blog/shop Take the Cannoli you are missing out!
Nat is the writer/designer behind all of it.
She has just opened her shop...full of beautiful hand embroidered hoop art and other goodies!
Every single piece in her shop is so beautiful!
My favorites are her "Hymnal Line"
Go check out here blog here!
And check out her shop here!
She's on Twitter here.
And Facebook here.

I asked her to give a little schpeel about her, her blog and her shop....

_______________________________________________________________________

Hi there, I'm Nat from "Take the Cannoli". I am twenty something (for just a little longer), wifey to Micah, mama to my two sweet babes; Elsie Pearl & Vernon Ribble, a Southern Californian girl, and a crafter of sorts. I am a lover of Jesus, coffee, the beach and pastries of course!

Until recently my blog was just used to document and communicate my life for out of state family and friends. It has since taken on a life of its own and has morphed into something so much more! Through blogging I have opened up about life as a stay at home mama (the joys and sorrows) and touched on some struggles I have gone through this past year. I talked a little about that here. This year has already been amazing and I have been blessed by new friendships and opportunities through this blog. Not only have I found my voice, I have seen who I used to be, who I am now and who I am becoming. I have also launched my new online shop of handcrafted items made up mostly of my embroidery which has kind of become my therapeutic outlet. I would love for you to stop by and stay awhile as I journey through this new chapter in my life. Though not always sunshine and rainbows, I will always be real and honest.

Check this recent post if you think I'm kidding.

So… enough about me and onto the goods! In celebration of the New Year, and wrapping up the first month of 2012, I am giving away a piece from my collection. Miss Ashley and her beautiful blog have inspired me to whip up this little piece I like to call "Friends". I am so blessed to have met Ashley and I know that our friendship will transcend the Blogosphere and materialize in the physical world too. Proverbs 27:17 reads "As iron sharpens iron, so the man sharpens the countenance of his friends." I have found this to be true and am encouraged by so many of you out there. I truly "Love my friends" don't you?

________________________________________________________________

Nat is giving one of you readers a gorgeous hand embroidered piece!
Isn't it beautiful!?

To enter to win you must be a follower of The Vanilla Tulip and Take the Cannolli.

Make sure you're following both blogs and then leave ONE comment letting me know you've done so!

One entry per person.

The winner will be announced this Saturday the 4th.

Saturday

2012-01-28T19:44:00.001-08:00

Well...a bow tie tutorial was promised for today. It's not happening. My Internet is giving me fits...so next week it is:)
I'm using my phone right now...so this will be short and sweet!
Our weekend has been nice! Trav was gone most of it at a coaching seminar. The kids and I stuck close to home and played and crafted our weekend away!
Hope your weekend was great!

This week in phone pics...

2012-01-27T06:46:00.000-08:00

This week we had pancake breakfasts Monday through Thursday.

It was a good week :)

This week I made a gigantic batch of chocolate chip cookie dough.
And I ended up burning three out of the four batches of cookies.I kept getting side tracked and forgetting they were in there.Note to self: make cookies when the kids are napping :) This week Cade perfected some faces that made him even more kissable :)

This week my sister and I made Valentine wreaths for my doors.
And speaking of holidays.
I finally took my white Christmas tree down yesterday.
Honestly I would keep it up all year round.
I don't think Trav would be too big on that though :)

This week Emma got ahold of my phone and snapped a few pictures without me knowing.
I just found this one this morning while I was scrolling through.Morning tickle time at it's finest :)

This week Colt continued to draw on his Magnadoodle.His pictures crack me up!
He said this one was a man (on the left) watching birds (on the right).He also draws a stellar spider and jellyfish.I'm impressed for a two year old!

_________________________________________________________________ How was your week?
Big plans for your weekend?I'll be back tomorrow with a fun tutorial on how to make bow ties for your little guys!Bow ties with a hot glue gun ;)No sewing involved! Have a great Friday!

Be Back :)

2012-01-25T21:40:00.000-08:00

Just checking in :)

I'll be back Friday with a real post....

I've just been enjoying these three little ones!

Hope you had a great day!!!

Project Hope Update

2012-01-25T06:50:00.000-08:00

Goodmorning friends!

Back in November I posted about my friend Laura and Project Hope.

The goal of Project Hope is to provide care boxes for mothers who have lost a baby through miscarriage, still birth as well as babies in the NICU.

Laura has written up a follow up post of the project.
I'd love for you to head over there today to read it.

Just click here.

____________________________________________________________

It's rainy and gray here today.
Perfect weather to do laundry and cozy up:)

Have a great Wednesday!

Four

2012-01-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

Happy 4th Birthday to my sweet Emma Kate!!!!

I love my sweet girl more than words can describe.

I love her kindness and generosity...
I love her bubbly personality...

I love that her best friends are her brothers...
I love her tender heart.

We spent her birthday at home with just our family this year.
It was wonderful :)
The day was spent playing, reading, going on treasure hunts, taking pictures, taking naps and making pizzas.

My sister Bekka joined us for half the day...
my kids ADORE her!
She walked in the door and Colt said,

"Aunt Bekka! You're home!"

Not only did Bekka come to celebrate but she brought the cake.
And not just any cake.
She made a Rapunzel Barbie cake for Emma.

It was beautiful!!!

Sweet Em is not one for change.
Yesterday I made the mistake of telling her it would be the last day she was three.
She fell to the floor sobbing that she wanted to be three forever :)
She's beginning to warm up to the idea of four today...

We'll see how she feels about it tomorrow!

Here are a few pictures from her special day...

______________________________________________________________

Hope your Monday was great :)

This and That

2012-01-21T11:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday!

I have a few random thoughts that I don't want to forget to share with you before the week is over!

So here we go :)

_____________________________________________________________

In case you missed it I will be offering advertising starting in February!

AND...

If you purchase a February ad

I will give you the month of March for free!

It doesn't matter which size you purchase.

All the info is here.

If you would like an ad just e-mail me:

thevanillatulip {at} yahoo {dot} com

This is a great way to grow your blog or business!

_____________________________________________________________

My friend Ashley from college recently started a blog.
As did her sister Alison.
These two are gems:)

Head on over to their blogs and follow along!

You won't be sorry!

________________________________________________________

This week we...

Danced before breakfast...

Enjoyed the crazy warm weather...
(it got up to 76 this particular day!)

Played outside barefoot...
Read lots of books...
And also took random pictures of our fuzzy haired baby :)
And speaking of random.
I took this picture on our walk the other night.
The area we live in has a BAJILLION buzzards (vultures).
I have never seen so many in my entire life!It's kind of hard to tell...but all the little black dots are buzzards.
And that's just a fraction of what was flying around.
___________________________________________________________________ I'm off to sew while the babies are napping.
The beginning of February I'll show you what I've been up to :)
What are your weekend plans?
Hope it's a good one!

Taco Ring

2012-01-20T11:40:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite go to recipes is Taco Ring.

It's super quick and everybody loves it at our house!

TACO RING

Ingredients

2 packages of crescent rolls

1 lb ground beef

1 pack of taco seasoning

1/2 package shreded mexican cheese

Brown your ground beef.

Once browned I then throw mine into a food processer to make it fine.

You don't have to... just what I prefer.

Then add your taco seasoning and a little water.

Let it simmer for a few minutes while you prepare the next step.

On a baking sheet lay out your crescent rolls.

It should look something like this.

On the crescent rolls put your taco meat and cheese.

Fold the crescent rolls over.

Bake at 350 for around 12 minutes or until your crescent rolls look golden.

I like to serve our Taco Ring with a sour cream and salsa to dip them in.

Make a salad and some mexican rice and you have a yummy dinner!

________________________________________________________________

Hope you had a great week!!!