{Junk in their Trunk}

Chicken Toes

2012-02-23T06:38:00.000-08:00

A recipe that my whole family loves is one from Rachael Ray called Chicken Toes. These are just glorified chicken nuggets but they are actually tasty and composed of real chicken rather than whatever that is you can buy at a restaurant or at the store. My kids ask for these all the time. Throw these on the table with a spinach smoothie as a drink and you almost have a healthy meal.

Chicken Toes
In a shallow dish, mix together:
1 cup corn flakes, crushed
1 cup plain bread crumbs
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground allspice

Drizzle about 3 tbsp vegetable oil evenly over breading, tossing and turning to mix oil through mixture. Cut chicken into 2 inch pieces. Turn chicken in 1/3 cup flour, 2 beaten eggs, and then in breading. Arrange toes on nonstick baking sheet. Bake at 375 F for 15 min. till crisp and brown all over.

Dipping sauce idea:
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup sour cream

Now for the deets: I always use panko bread crumbs instead of plain bread crumbs. If you haven't tried panko before, they're a real treat and they add a nice crunch to your breading. The allspice is the secret ingredient. Don't leave it out - it makes these taste so yummy and refined.

Instead of vegetable oil, I use olive oil (not really for health reasons but because I bought a huge jug of it at Sam's and it's closer to my stove than the vegetable oil is.

Also, if you make these by yourself, plan on it taking some time and making your fingers a disastrous mess. Assembly line style is the only way to go. I always have one kid on flour duty, one on egg, and me on the breading. It goes so much faster this way and makes so much less mess.

It can be done solo but it is a pain and I don't enjoy suffering by myself. And the 15 minutes makes these perfect every time. At least in my oven. Just be warned that once you start making these, the kids will ask for these repeatedly. I do feel way better about serving these up than those overprocessed bits and pieces of something or other you get at the store. Enjoy!

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Link it up Wednesday #17

2012-02-21T21:33:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that we have been doing these linky parties for 17 weeks. It seems like just yesterday when we decided to start these parties and now here we are 17 weeks later. We cannot say thank you enough for making each and every linky party a success.

Here is our most viewed link from last week:

Monster Cookie Dough Truffles by SOMETHING SWANKY found here

And here are our favorites:

Charissa:

The Invisible Mom by 21 ROSEMARY LANE found here

Tiffany:

Frozen Hot Chocolate by ONCE A MOM ALWAYS A COOK found here

Heidi:

Whatchamacallit Blondies by BRU CREW LIFE found here

Liesl:

Favorite Fabric Shops by KADYDID DESIGNS found here

Tenille:

Chocolate Cherry Napoleons by GALLEY KITCHEN found here

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Getting White Marks Off Your Table

2012-02-21T05:47:00.000-08:00

About a year ago I was enjoying a nice bowl of oatmeal. I had put it on top of a dish towel while I ate it at the table (I didn't want to put the hot bowl directly on the table). To my horror when I finished my bowl of oatmeal there was a silver dollar sized white spot on my table. I quickly tried wiping it away and it just didn't go away. For the next 2 weeks I would work on that stupid spot. But alas nothing changed. I finally admitted defeat and had to come to terms with the fact that I had just defaced our beautiful dining table.

Fast forward to last night. My husband and I had just enjoyed some yummy, hot soup. My hubby had warmed his soup up in the microwave and then placed it on top of a paper towel. Of course when he finished eating he picked his bowl up and to his horror there was a large white mark.

As fate would have it, I had just seen on Pinterest (don't you love that site:) a tip for getting white spots off your table. I hadn't tried it out yet on my other white spot so when I saw that my husband had left a white spot on the table I told him to try this method.

This method comes from here from the Little Green Notebook. Its so simple and very effective.

First you take a dish towel or cloth napkin and get it damp.

Then you place it over the white spot.

Heat an iron on medium heat and iron over the towel/napkin. Make sure to never stop moving the iron.

Do a few quick strokes with the iron and WAH LA. The white spot will disappear.

There is a scientific reason as to why this works and if you want to know it then click the above link. I frankly didn't care for why it worked. All I cared about was that it worked. It worked on our fresh white spot and our year old spot. Unforunately I was so excited that it actually worked that I didn't take any before or after pictures but just trust me on this.

So if you have pesky white spots on your table try this easy and effective method. It will transform your table into that perfect table she used to be:)

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10 Healthy Snacks for Kids

2012-02-20T03:48:00.000-08:00

{Today we are privileged to have a guest post written by a school teacher.}

It’s never too early to get your child to eat healthy food. But how can you convince them to eat fruits and veggies when their friends are eating cookies and potato chips? Here are 10 snacks that are healthy and fun that they’re sure to love!

1. Cheese - Cheese is full of protein that will keep your kids going until dinner. Cheese cubes are easy to pack and bite-sized. For even more fun, use a cookie cutter to make cheese slices into fun shapes.

2. Fruit - Kids love fruit for its bright colors and natural sugar content. Many fruits like blueberries and strawberries also contain antioxidants that support your kids’ immune systems. Almost any fruit is great on its own or combined with cheese, yogurt, or peanut butter.

3. Peanut Butter - You may already put peanut butter in your kids’ sandwiches, but it’s also a fun dip for fruit and crackers. Peanut butter has lots of protein and fiber that will keep them from getting hungry later.

4. Healthy Baked Goods - Kids won’t notice if you sneak fruit or vegetables into a yummy muffin or cake, and they’ll be getting lots of nutrients. Try banana bread, zucchini muffins, or mini carrot cakes – there are endless recipes online.

5. Yogurt - Low-fat yogurt is a great source of calcium and protein, and it can be even better with granola and fruit. Mini yogurt cups and products like GoGurt are even made especially for kids’ lunches.

6. Sweet Potato Chips - These are the perfect alternative to potato chips – they have vitamin A, B6, C and folate and they also generally contain less grease and salt. Kids also love their sweet taste and crunchy texture.

7. Hummus - Hummus is made from chickpeas, which contain vitamin B6, iron, and folate. It works well as a dip for crackers or bite-sized vegetables like celery and baby carrots.

8. Raisins/Dried fruit - Raisins contain lots of good things including fiber, potassium, and vitamins. Even if your kids don’t like raisins, you could try a number of other dried fruit products like Craisins (dried cranberries) or banana chips.

9. Snack Mix - Save money by making your own snack mix with all the bite-sized ingredients your kids love. Nuts, pretzels, whole grain cereal, dried fruit, and popcorn contain lots of vitamins and minerals, along with a variety of flavors to add some fun to your child’s lunchbox.

10. Oatmeal Cookies - Instead of chocolate chip cookies, try baking low-fat oatmeal cookies to give your kids a healthy sweet snack. You can put a variety of tasty surprises in them, including raisins, other dried fruit, and nuts. You could even bake them with your child on the weekend so that he or she has something to show off at lunchtime.

Jan Pierce is a 4th grade teacher who has over 20 years of experience in the classroom. She also owns the site <ahref=http://www.elementaryeducationdegree.com>Elementary Education Degree</a> for students interested in earning a degree in elementary education.

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We have a WINNER!!!

2012-02-17T16:38:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all of you who have entered our sisters giveaway.

It is now time to choose our lucky winner. Thanks to random.org for making this easy on us. And now drum roll please......

Our lucky winner is comment #2 who is.....

CHRISTA

Please email us Christa at junkintheirtrunk@yahoo.com so we can get your prize to you.

Thanks again for entering our giveaway.

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A Bitter Rant...

2012-02-17T04:30:00.000-08:00

Today I guess I can only describe how I am feeling as bitter. So if you don't want to read some bitter ramblings from a jaded cynic, please close your browser now... You've been warned.

A dear friend of mine passed away on Sunday night after a 10 month bout with ovarian cancer. She is an amazing person and every day was just better because she was here. She simply made the world a nicer place to be. She is good and kind and patient and generous and I loved being around her and spending time with her. I'm sure there was many a time when she wished I would leave but she always made it so comfortable and enjoyable to be around her that I would always overstay my welcome. She was always there for me when I needed a listening ear or a sounding board or a shoulder to cry on.

Now she is gone and the world feels a bit darker for her not being here. I have struggled with my emotions all week and I can only say that it has really gotten under my skin that every time I turn on the TV or radio or Internet, all I can hear about or listen to is Whitney Houston this and that. It is really hard to lose someone you love who was good and kind and truly made the world a better place but the only thing the media can focus on is someone who died who, to be honest, was somewhat of a waste of skin (yes, I do realize that is judgmental; sue me).

I know that Whitney Houston was a child of God too but come on already. I'm sick to my eyeballs of having to hear about her death and wonder whether or not she OD'd or not (like that's really in question) and see people who probably had never been within 500 miles of her holding candlelight vigils and weeping openly in the streets for someone who quite frankly didn't make a hill of beans difference to the betterment of mankind. It's no secret that I not only don't subscribe to any form of celebrity worship, but I simply don't give a rat's rear end for any of them. It's terribly obscene that our society can put so much unearned emphasis on the life of someone who did so little for others when truly good and amazing people also die every single day and they don't even get a mention on the nightly news let alone years of constant haranguing on the subject (you know who you are, cough cough, Michael Jackson, Princess Di).

I will attend the funeral of my dear friend today and I will shed tears for years to come for a life that was cut too short. But besides those of us who knew and loved her, you will never hear about her on Newsline, no one will twitter about her death, or rally the cry for more funding for ovarian cancer research. She died like she lived - quietly and with honor and dignity. If you are party to the process that allows so much attention to be focused on celebrity, please take a moment to reflect on those in your life that truly did make a difference to you and the world, who truly "passed on" a legacy worth remembering and fawning over.

I'll miss you, Karleen!

And this is in memory of my Grandpa who would have been 106 today. He would always sing this song to us and I loved to hear him sing it. It was a nice melancholy tune that must have resonated with my innate cynicism. Now, after seeing the words in print, I realize how sad the song really was. Just seeing the words make me miss my Grandpa who was another wonderful person you've never heard about from the news. Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Babes in the Woods
My friends, have you heard, how a long time ago,
Two little children whose names I don't know,
Were stolen away on a bright summer's day,
And left in the woods, I've heard people say.

And when it was night, so sad was their plight,
The sun went down, and the moon gave no light,
They sobbed and they sighed, and they bitterly cried,
Then the poor little things, they laid down and died.

And when they were dead, the robins so red,
Brought strawberry leaves and over them spread,
And all the night long, the branches among,
They mourned as they whistled, and this was their song....

Chorus:
Poor babes in the woods,
Poor babes in the woods,
Oh don't you remember
Poor babes in the woods.

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Beating the Grocery Store Blues!

2012-02-16T04:00:00.000-08:00

If you haven't already entered our giveaway be sure to enter by going here

I hate grocery shopping. It ranks right up there with cleaning toilets. But it’s a necessary evil, since my family likes to eat. Urg!

I used to go at it in a haphazard fashion, bitterly throwing items in my cart and hoping I’d figure out some meal to use them in. Each night my husband would ask what was for dinner and I’d say, “What do you want?” We’d look through cupboards and fridge trying to figure out what we could make with the ingredients we had. But usually whatever we decided to make we’d be missing some ingredient, and I would inevitably traipse back to the store last minute.

The problem with this method was that when I’d go back to the store to get my 1 or 2 items, I’d always leave $40-$60 later with a bunch of other items as well (they were a good deal or I suddenly had a craving for them).

Needless to say, this haphazard method made my grocery budget soar. It was very wasteful as well. I’d always buy certain things—like sour cream—and soon have 3 tubs of it in my fridge (all expired).

Desperate to lower my food budget, I decided to keep myself OUT of the grocery store as much as possible (it would make ME happier…and the budget). I was going at least 3X a week…and that just didn’t equate to saving money).

Sample Meal/Ingredient List

So after thinking about it, I figured out a method that has solved all my problems. It keeps me out of the grocery store (I only go 2X a month now), it has lowered my food budget significantly, and I don’t have so much waste.

This method takes a LOT of initial time to set up…but is totally worth it. I hated every second of organizing all my recipes and ingredient charts, but once that was accomplished, it has saved me oodles of time!

Here’s what I do (forgive my bad pictures; I'm not fancy):

1. MEAL LIST. Make a long list of meals you like to eat (To save space, I typed these out and organized them by soups, salads, pasta, chicken, etc).

2. MEAL/INGREDIENT LIST. Now expand your list by looking at every recipe and writing down under each meal the ingredients you need to buy that you don’t normally have on hand (I always have milk, eggs, flour, butter and most spices, so I don’t write down those)

3. MENU. On shopping day, go through your meal/ingredients lists and figure out a two week menu. This is so handy because there are no more “What do you want to eat tonight?” questions. I just look at my menu and the decision is made. Sometimes I’m not in the mood for what I wrote down, so I’ll switch it for another night and cross it off, but I still get through all the meals I’ve planned.

Sample 2 Week Menu (I went out of town...that's why there are lots of days blank)

4. SHOPPING LIST. After you have your two week plan, write down all the ingredients you need for the meals you picked. (If you have a favorite store, you can organize your list by aisle—I like to be efficient and get out of the hated grocery store as fast as humanly possible)

5. DREADED GROCERY STORE OUTING. This is when you go out into the trenches and put your plan into action. Only get the items on your list (don’t impulse buy). Ignore the weird looks you get with 2 shopping carts (or give weirder looks back, as if to say, “You DON’T have 2 shopping carts. What’s wrong with you?”)

6. BE HAPPY. Go home and put your groceries away, joyful in the knowledge that you actually will use everything you bought. Yippee! Also, there is a warm fuzzy feeling that always overcomes me as I leave the grocery store, knowing that I won’t be back for 2 whole weeks. It makes me feel like the CONQUERER, instead of the conquered!

I’ve been happy with this system! It took a lot of time in the beginning to set up…but now that I have all my charts, it seriously takes me 5 minutes to choose a menu, write down needed ingredients, and organize it into a shopping list. I LOVE that! I can handle 5 minutes.

Here are some tips to stretch out to 2 weeks:

I have a dairy deliver my milk each week. I like the taste better.
I freeze bread and pull a loaf out when I need it. (Some breads are better than others for this. If you have a Winco, their bakery bread has tough, solid bags that hold up well against freezer burn. Use trial and error to find which breads freeze best for you...or try rebagging them into more airtight solid bags once you get home if your favorite bread has a flimsy bag that begs your freezer to burn it)
I divvy out snacks into labeled lunch sacks for my kids lunches; otherwise, they will snarf them down the first weekend after grocery shopping and have nothing left for 2 weeks. They know now that they get one snack a day and if they snarf, then they will fast until I go shopping again.
I hide my chocolate chips under the frozen spinach in the freezer (that way my kids don’t find them and I get them all to myself)

Whether this works for you or not, I wish you well. My deepest wish is that you may stay out of the dreaded grocery store as much as possible…and be happy…and have a maid come and clean your toilets…and be happy. I can keep going, but I’ll stop.

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Link it up Wednesday #16

2012-02-14T21:57:00.000-08:00

It's that time again. Time to link up all your amazing projects, recipes, etc... We love these parties and love looking at all the links posted. Thanks for always making our linky parties such a great success.

Here is last weeks most viewed link:

Ideas to Make Life Easier by Alderberry Hill found here

And here are our favorites:

Charissa:

Stars Wars Valentines by Keeping it Simple found here

Andrea:

One Stop Office Chest by The NY Melrose Family found here

Tiffany:

Melted Heart Art by The Brown Eyes Have It found here

Heidi:

Revolving Shelving Unit by Love Bug Living found here

Marcy:

Sewing Machine 101 by Dwell on Joy found here

Tenille:

Beadboard Hearts by Adventures of a DIY Mom found here

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Sisters Trip Giveaway

2012-02-14T06:15:00.000-08:00

Today is the day of LOVE. And since we have the best readers/followers, and because we love you, we are doing a giveaway.

While on our sisters trip we each bought a little gift of our favorite things. Everyone bought 2 of their gifts. We all wrapped our gifts and took turns picking one. We then took all the extra gifts and gathered them together so we could give them to 1 of our lucky readers.

Here is a picture of some of our 'Favorite Things':

Here is a list of what you could win along with the person whose favorite thing it is...Warning this is a mod podge of things and very random:

Mom--blanket, dark chocolate cherry cordials, Sudoku

Charissa-- Pee Chee folder (old school 80s folder), Idaho Spud, notebook, pop rocks, pens

Andrea--Special K crisp bars, coconut M&M's, Mounds

Tiffany--Variety Puzzle book, lotion

Heidi--Reeses minis, command wall strips

Liesl--hairspray, tanning strips

Tenille--Lindor Truffles, chapstick, gum

Kelly--Artichoke hearts, artichoke dip recipe

If you want a chance to win all these fun things here is how you can enter. Remember to leave a separate comment for each thing you do...

1. Like our Facebook page

2. Follow us on google reader or on our blog

3. Blog or facebook about our giveaway

4. Get someone new to follow us or like our facebook page

We will pick our winner on Friday afternoon so be sure to hurry and enter. And we hope you all have a great Valentines Day.

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Super Soft Sugar Cookies...

2012-02-13T03:00:00.000-08:00

Well we are all back from our AMAZING sisters trip this weekend. We had a blast and of course will dedicate a whole post to the fun times we had. But for today, I wanted to share a yummy sugar cookie recipe.

My husband and I aren't big on the whole Valentines Day. We never do anything extravagant. It usually involves dinner and a movie, but last year we just made a really nice dinner at home and celebrated as a family. Can't beat that right?

We also don't go out and buy gifts for each other (well I don't at least). Instead I like to make yummy treats for my hubby that he LOVES. Since I don't bake very often this is quite the treat for him and better than any little gift I could get him:)

Anyways today I am sharing my neighbors sugar cookie recipe. Every year either at Christmas or Valentines Day she would make these cookies for me. These were the type of cookies that I hid from everyone so I could indulge in them all to myself. One year I finally asked her for the recipe and being the great neighbor that she was, she gave it to me.

I promise you that these are the softest cookies you will ever make. And if I can make them than anyone can make them.

So without further adieu here is a great sugar cookie recipe that will impress anyone, especially that special someone in your life.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (softened)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream (or Vanilla yogurt)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. soda
4 tsp. baking powder
4 1/2- 5 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:
Cream together butter & sugar.

Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla, mix well.

Then add soda, baking powder, salt, & flour.

Mix well and refrigerate 3 hours.

Pull out of fridge and roll them out and cut into shapes.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

(An important note: When I first made these I was worried about adding too much flour. But you need to make sure that your dough is NOT sticky at all. Any stickiness will result in your counter top being covered with sticky dough. Just trust me. I add more flour til the dough is not sticky or just slightly sticky. And I like to roll the dough and leave it thicker. I LOVE soft, thick sugar cookies so I roll them out thick. This is a total preference issue though. But be mindful that the thicker the dough the longer you cook (8-10 minutes). The thinner it is then bake less than 8 minutes. Trust me when I say that you want these cookies soft.

Frosting:

1 cube soften butter
almond extract (capful)
vanilla (capful)
1 1/2- 2 1/2 cups powder sugar
milk ---a little splash or two will do.

Directions:

Mix butter and almond and vanilla extract together. Add powered sugar a little at a time. I usually add 1 cup and then slowly keep adding it til it gets to the consistency and taste I like. But roughly anywhere from 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 cups will do. I then add a splash of milk to smooth it out. And of course in honor of Valentines Day I like to add a little red food coloring.

Enjoy these delicious cookies. They will complete your Valentines Day but I will warn you that they are hard to resist so plan on gaining a few pounds. But they are worth every pound:)

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Sister's Trip...

2012-02-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today we are all together enjoying our annual sisters trip....

Every year all us sisters get together, away from our hubbys and kids, and spend a few days together just hanging out, laughing, eating (a must on any vacay) and just being silly. Its a tradition that was started roughly 6 years ago.

Thanks to our lovely sister Liesl this tradition got started. It all started when she was caught going 103 mph in a 70 mph zone in California. Instead of just paying the ticket through the mail, she was required to come to California and see a judge (she lived in Vegas at the time). Well she didn't want to have to go to California all by herself so she convinced a few of us (Tiff-Heidi-Tenille) to join her and do a little shopping while we were there.

So on a whim the 4 of us left our kids and hubby's and headed down to beautiful S. Cali. We ended up getting a hotel that was located right next to a freeway and an airport (so loud) and as if the noise wasn't bad enough the room had been smoked in heavily and it gave us all headaches because it was so overpowering. But we had the time of our lives. We found an amazing mall while we were there and had so much fun. When we got back we decided it was so much fun that we needed to do it more often.

Every year since then we have made it a point to get together at least once a year with no kids and just have fun. We usually shop, catch up on scrap booking/crafts/blogs, eat and eat some more and just giggle. We also love to take model/silly shots.

Anyways it is all a ton of fun and its nice to get to sleep in and rejuvenate a little. Our hubby's are great to accommodate this trip every year. Although I think my kids actually enjoy me leaving for a few days because there are no rules when dad is in charge. Anyways we will be enjoying ourselves this year in the great city of Salt Lake. You can bet Ikea will be visited as well as Hobby Lobby. Of course we will eat ourselves crazy. I usually gain about 5 pounds on these trip but they are worth it.

Seriously life doesn't get much better than being from a family with 6 girls + 2 sister in laws and 1 amazing mother.

Here are some snapshots from last years trip to St. George. Of course once we all recover from this years trip we will be sure to post some pictures.

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Pinterest Loves

2012-02-09T04:24:00.000-08:00

I love my Pinterest so so much!! Here are a few of my favorite finds lately...

I think these beds are awesome...of course I would NEVER feel comfortable having my child sleep up there!! Haha!
pinned here

What a brilliant idea!! For those little collars or hems...a quick run through with the hair striaghtener and you are good to go!!
pinned here

Coconut milk & cocoa powder...sounds and looks delish!!
pinned here

Love this art table...I want to make one for my little girls!!
pinned here

Such a cute idea to document who your child really is...their daily happenings!
pinned here

Storing and organizing your plastic lids in a drying rack...such a genius idea!!
pinned here

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Link it up Wednesday #15

2012-02-07T22:25:00.000-08:00

Wednesday = Link Party Time!!!

But first...here are the top pics of this week...

Most Clicked Link:

Clear to See Valentine by MICHELLE PAIGE found here

And here are our favorites:

Charissa:

Pina Colada Waffles by MRS. SCHWARTZ'S KITCHEN found here

Andrea:

Weekly Menu + Recipes on a Budget by CONFESSIONS OF A SEMI-DOMESTICATED MAMA found here

Tiffany:

Mini Sweetheart French Toast by WILL COOK FOR SMILES found here

Heidi:

Free Bachelor Bingo by Potholes & Pantyhose found here

Tenille:

Yarn Pom Pom Wreath by THE CRAFTY SCIENTIST found here

Kelly:

Pomegranate Cream Crepes by WILL COOK FOR SMILES found here

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Birthday Cake Rice Krispie Treats

2012-02-07T06:38:00.000-08:00

I, for one, LOVE Rice Krispie Treats!! They are one of my absolute, all-time favorite 'treats'! So, when I saw this wonderful recipe on doodlebugkitchen.blogspot.com I knew it would be the perfect 'treat' to make and send with my son to share with his classmates for his birthday. I mean, what could be better than birthday cake mixed with the wonderful yumminess of Rice Krispie Treats?? I mean, seriously!

Here is what you'll need to bring these delicious 'treats' to life--

5 cups Rice Kripies
3 T butter
1 bag of mini marshmallows
1 cup yellow cake mix
1/8 cup sprinkles
24 cupcake liners
non-stick spray

In a large pot, melt butter then stir in marshmallows and mix well. Add the cake mix and stir it into the marshmallows until it all dissolves. Add Rice Krispies, mix, then add the sprinkles and mix again. Spray a small ice cream scoop with non-stick spray. Arrange cupcake liners in cupcake and scoop the treats into each liner. I added a few sprinkles over the top by hand as well--just to make it more fun and colorful!

They turned out super duper cute and DELISH!! I had to pry my husband away from them to make sure we would have enough for my son's classmates! I even bagged them up (all cute-like) to drop them off at the school! Aren't birthdays the BEST!!??

AFTERTHOUGHT: I used yellow cake mix but think how yummy, cute and super easy it would be to use strawberry cake mix with cute heart-shaped sprinkles for Valentine's Day!! I am going to have to give these a try here in the next day or two! Now that would be a SWEET Valentine's Day 'Treat'!!

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Share Your Love and Make a Difference!

2012-02-06T04:27:00.000-08:00

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Today we have a guest post from Charissa's friend, Aubrey. She has an inspiring idea on how to share your love this Valentine's season and make a difference in the life of kids in need. The floor is yours, Aubrey:

This February millions of dollars will be spent on candy, cards, or flowers. Within days, these gifts will be forgotten or thrown away. Much like these gifts, hundreds of children around the world have been forgotten and "thrown away" based solely on the fact that they have Down Syndrome.

On August 5th 2011 my life changed for the better when I gave birth to an adorable baby girl with Down Syndrome. A life I had once feared: being a mother to a child with special needs, turned into a life I would never change! It's an honor and a blessing to be a mother of Rylee.

I have recently discovered a website called http://reecesrainbow.org. On this site you will find 350+ children whose biological parents did not understand the light, potential, and love these children have to offer. Abandoned, they are placed in children's homes or orphanages until they are around the age of 8 and then institutionalized...often all too soon ending in death.

I can't ignore the fact that this has to change. I urge you to spend 15 minutes looking into the eyes of these kids who go to bed at night without a family to love, worry, laugh, and enjoy all they have to give the world!

Families want to adopt these kids, but are financially unable. The adoption process is on average $30,000. Once a child has a substantial amount of money raised they are usually quickly adopted and brought into a loving home and family!

My goal is to raise $25,000 for each Heath and Cullen to make their adoption a possibility for a wanting family. I need your help.

This February, I ask you to celebrate Valentine's Day by donating to Heath or Cullen's adoption. The world will throw away millions of dollars on candy, flowers, and cards. Make your money count. Bring Love and Family to the lives of these boys by making a tax deductible donation on ReecesRainbow.org. Together we can make an eternal difference in the life of a child!
With Sincere Appreciation,Aubrey

Thanks, Aubrey, for your inspiring post! Isn't her little Rylee adorable! I have a niece with Down Syndrome and she is the sweetest little angel too. You can’t help but love these kids. They are concentrated packages of PURE LOVE!

When you go to ReecesRainbow.org, type CULLEN or HEATH into the SEARCH window and it will take you right to their page. The DONATE button is at the bottom of their profile and tells you how much has been donated so far toward their adoption. Whether you can donate a little...or a lot...you'll be rewarded with knowing you're sharing your love in a way that makes a difference (instead of just making someone fatter)...and that will make a So-So Valentines become a HAPPY Valentines!

You + Me = aWEsome

2012-02-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

I feel like most of the month of January has been filled with Valentine posts in the blogging world. Even our little blog has done a few posts dedicated to Valentines day.

But since I am never on top of things I am just barely getting my Valentines decor out, and I still have a few more crafts to make (I have 11 days still:). And the sad thing is that this is the earliest I have gotten my Valentine decor up.

As I was putting my decor up I noticed my trusty 11x14 frame sitting there with my winter printable still there. Now as much as I loved my winter printable it just wasn't meshing with my pinks and love theme. So I knew I needed a new picture to put there.

That's where Pinterest came into play (seriously its hard for me to remember life without pinterest...bookmarking is so 2011:). I just happened to get to on Pinterest and this cute picture popped up. I was just going to print it off but unfortunately there was no link to download it. So I did the next best thing. I tried to create my own version of it. I love this little saying and I thought it would be a great Valentines print for my decor. And of course we are giving you the link to this baby so you can enjoy it too.

blue8x10 blue 11x14 pink8x10 pink11x14

I made it in two colors so hopefully one fits your fancy. As always all you have to do is download the above link and then send it to your favorite print shop and then frame that baby.

Here is mine all framed. Of course the lighting skewed the color so just know that yours will look like the above pictures. Enjoy. And as always if you want different colors just send us an email and we can work with you.

Making the Super Bowl Fun for EVERYONE

2012-02-02T03:02:00.000-08:00

Let me preface this post by first stating that my family watches little to no football all season long. But you still HAVE to watch the Super Bowl right? If not for the football, then at least for the commercials, the party or better yet the food!

Today I wanted to share with you some ideas that we've come up with the past few years to make the Super Bowl a fun and enjoyable experience for our whole family. When the kids started getting older, teachers and friends at school would always be hyped up about what team they were picking, so the girls started picking a team too and asking to watch the game. They were also quite interested in watching because their Dad would buy them squares at his office and they wanted to see if they would win anything. So we decided we could definitely make this a super, fun family activity each year and here's how we do it.

1) PICKING SIDES:
A game is extra fun and exciting when you have people rooting for both sides. We always ask the kids who they are voting for and then make our choice after they've picked (so as to not influence them). This year, the 3 girls are voting for the Giants (solely because of the movie "Madagascar" . . . ALL HAIL THE NEW YORK GIANTS!!) and my hubby, my boy and I are going for the Patriots (simply because we think they will win). The kids usually make up signs for their team to hang up around the room and break out their pom poms and do cheers when the urge hits.

2) PRIZE SQUARES:
Instead of paying money and doing the office squares, we started doing our own at home. The kids love to sit and help their Dad make the squares and they especially love getting to take turns picking their own squares. If you don't want to make your own squares, you can print them out here: http://www.docsports.com/pdf/super-bowl-squares.pdf
This is by far the biggest hit of the ENTIRE afternoon. We then have prizes for the winning squares. They are never anything big or fancy, but the kids go nuts for them. Prizes in the past have included a can of soda, a box of assorted donuts (that they can pick one of if they win), candy bars, play-do, etc. Fair warning: it also can cause a few tears and some major cases of the grumpies if you have kids who are impatient, poor losers. At the end of each quarter at our house, whoever is on the winning square picks a major prize and whoever has the 'reverse' winning square picks a minor prize.

*There's other fun games you could play as well such as having everyone guess ahead of time how many commercials will involve animals, beer, cars, bikinis, etc; playing Pass The Cup (with candy or prizes); or making guesses on which team will have the most interceptions, or whether or not the celebrity anthem singer will lip sync or totally botch it up, etc. Heidi even found these super cute Super Bowl Bingo cards from Studio DIY that are so cute. My kids LOVE playing Bingo so I think I'm going to have to add these into our fun this year. Check them out for yourself here: http://www.studiodiy.com/2012/01/31/super-bowl-bingo-free-printable/.

3) FOOD, FOOD, FOOD:
In conclusion, no matter if your team loses, you won no squares, etc, the day will still not be a waste if there is TONS of good food involved. I like to keep it simple so that I can actually enjoy the Super Bowl too. The main dish is usually something I could make the day before like egg salad sandwiches or chicken salad croissants and then we just have tons of side snacks like 7-layer dip, homemade nachos, guacamole, chex mix, popcorn, soda, etc. One idea I read recently was to have a "Souper Bowl" party and that would be a great idea too since soups are so easy to make earlier on in the day.

If nothing else in this post grabbed your interest, at least watch the Super Bowl during the 3rd quarter for this commercial - appropriated named "The Bark Side". Technically, it's a TRAILER for their Super Bowl commercial. Who even does that??? We saw it a few weeks ago, and all sat there mesmerized the entire time because it was so cute, clever, creative and entertaining - plus we were wondering what it was even advertising. I love it!!! Volkswagen seems to have found their groove with their Star Wars themed commercials!

Now go and get ready for your own Super Bowl Party and let me know how it goes!

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Link it up Wednesday #14

2012-01-31T21:25:00.000-08:00

Wednesday's here...welcome to another week at our link party!!

Here is our most viewed link of the week:

Easiest Baby Blanket Ever by I CAN'T STOP {CRAFTING} found here

And here are some of our favorites:

Charissa:

Sweet Sushi by PAMS PARTY AND PRACTICAL TIPS found here

Andrea:

Kids Printable Valentine's by OVER THE BIG MOON found here

Tiffany:

Mini Garlic Monkey Bread by CRUMBS AND CHAOS found here

Heidi:

DIY Touch & Feel Book by ALL THE QUIET THINGS found here

Marcy:

Sweetheart Paper Garland by 21 ROSEMARY LANE found here

Liesl:

Kale Chips by ONCE A MOM...ALWAYS A COOK found here

Tenille:

Weight Loss Motivator by AUNT NUBBY'S KITCHEN found here

Kelly:

Contact Paper Privacy Window by MAKING IT FEEL LIKE HOME found here

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Teaching Kids Proper Etiquette

2012-01-31T04:12:00.000-08:00

This all started a few months back when at the end of a long day I just needed a break from the laundry, housework, cooking, all of it and so my husband and I decided to take the family out to dinner. To put it nicely...it was not a super experience. My five year old felt the need to talk at the very TOP of his lungs whenever he had a thought or idea which seemed to be every other second. He also decided to very randomly knock his whole body into the back of the seat causing the people on the other side to continually look in our direction with 'that' look--Hopefully I'm not the only one who has ever seen 'that' look. My older son (7 years old) was also a chatter-box but only felt like talking when his mouth was absolutely as full as possible and he felt the need to wipe his hands on everything EXCEPT his napkin--leaving his brand new school clothes covered in pizza sauce. All the while my baby cried and whined to his hearts content!! So...by the time we left I was FAR MORE frazzled than I was beforehand and vowed to never EVER take these kids out again! Please tell me I am not the only mom who this has ever happened to. I felt like a failure of a mother and ended up staying up all night long thinking of how I could 'FIX' this problem! I did come up with an idea and got up the next morning (with fingers crossed) and got to work finding the necessary items to put my idea into reality. Anyway, I found these cute little ramekins (so glad that I finally found a good use for them) and some decorative marbles. I used one ramekin per member of the family and put ten little marbles inside.

That evening before dinner we had a little family counsel to discuss what the word etiquette means and together we came up with our family rules of etiquette. It was so interesting to me to see that my boys came up with and knew most of the etiquette rules that we discussed. They thought it was fun coming up with them and actually continued thinking of them all through dinner that night and throughout the whole next week. Then, after discussing the rules of etiquette I walked the boys to the kitchen table where the ramekins were sitting, one ramekin on each of our placemats (mom and dad as well.) I went on to tell the boys how our new 'game' was played--Every time any of us do not follow the etiquette rules a marble is taken out of our ramekin. In order to get dessert at the end of the day we must have at least one marble in our ramekin; this marble can be traded in for dessert. NO MARBLE = NO DESSERT! The first couple of nights we had some sad, dessertless children but soon they would end the night with 4 or 5 marbles left over. Once this started happening on a regular basis I would start the day with fewer and fewer marbles (leaving the boys less room for mistakes). Now, two months later we have only 2 marbles to start off the day!! And, my boys almost always earn dessert. They have gotten so much better and learned so much through all of this that we went out as a family again the other night and it was blissful!! The boys used their manners and remembered their etiquette rules the whole time and I left the restaurant with a HUGE smile on my face!! This really worked for us but it does take persistence! Maybe I am the only one with this problem out there but if by chance you find yourself in a similar situation-give the 'etiquette jars' a try; it might be just the thing you are looking for.
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Trails of love...

2012-01-30T02:23:00.000-08:00

OK, that is the dorkiest title in the world and I can't believe that just came out of my keyboard but nonetheless, I simply don't know what else to call this thing. Some years ago, I must have seen this idea somewhere but I no longer recall where so my apologies to some creative genius out there amongst us who came up with this. I certainly know I was not imaginative enough to come up with this on my own. Long story short, when we were kids on Valentines Day, my mom used to always doorbell ditch a special Valentines treat on the front door step for us kids to find when we ran to answer the door. Well, I live in Idaho and I don't like doorbell ditching in the winter time because it means you have to huddle somewhere in the cold dark night freezing your bejeebus off while you wait for someone to answer the door. That plus the fact that my kids don't seem to find any thrill in answering the door when it rings, so they don't, and you can end up waiting outside in the freezing cold for a long spell, sometimes nigh unto hypothermia sets in. So when I saw this cute idea I decided to try this instead. I get each of my kids and hubby some small gift (emphasis on small) and then hide it somewhere just out of sight in my living room. Then for each person involved, I buy a different bag of Valentines candy. Starting from the entryway of my living room, I leave a homemade Valentines card for the person at the "trailhead" and then place the candy (I prefer individually wrapped candy since they will be laying all over my living room floor) at certain increments across the room to leave a trail to where their gift is hidden.

Sometimes I get fancy and weave the trail around furniture and over the couches to try to throw them off the scent of where the gift is hidden.

By the time you have made seven trails across your living room, it can start to look really chaotic. This makes it important to choose the candy wisely so that they are easily differentiated from each other so that each person will be able to follow their own trail. Depending on what day of the week Valentines falls on, I sometimes will do this the night before so that they wake up to this first thing on Valentines day, or if they have school that day then I have it ready for them when they get home or right before dinner or whatever.

To start, each person gets an empty bag and then follows their trail by picking up each candy that is theirs and collecting it in their bag.

The kids love following their trail and finding their special gift and the bonus is that they also have a whole bag of candy that they can then trade off with their siblings if they want a variety. This has been a fun Valentines "tradition" for our family... not to mention being much warmer for those exposed body parts.

What traditions do you use to surprise your loved ones on Valentines Day?

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Stupid Questions!

2012-01-27T03:08:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered why pigs’ tails are curly? And why do they call those delicious round candies M&Ms instead of C&Cs? They’re chocolate candy aren’t they? And those words both start with C’s, not M’s.

Has anyone ever asked you a stupid question?

My mom always told me there was no such thing as a stupid question...but sometimes I wonder! I have a daughter who just likes to talk and ask whatever comes off the top of her head without thinking first. Sometimes she already knows the answer, or it isn’t a question that is answerable, but she insists on asking it a half dozen times anyway, until I finally tell her in frustration to google it if she is so determined to have an answer other than “I don’t know.”

So in honor of my daughter and all those others out there who aren’t afraid to ask stupid questions and become the next Einsteins of the next generation…here’s a bunch of stupid questions just for YOU!

What came first: the chicken or the egg? (The stupid question that has passed the test of time)

Who came up with dinosaur names? (They’re way too hard to pronounce, except for 4 year olds)

What does Hello really mean? (If you break it down, it almost sounds like you’re cursing someone instead of greeting them)

Why are stop signs octagons instead of heptagons or just plain squares? (Those shapes would be easier to cut out and make)

Why do dogs look like their owners? (It’s sometimes freaky)

Who's the grunt that comes up with all the weird holidays out there? (I want his job)

Why is football named that when only one player on the team uses his foot? (It should be called tackleball because that’s what they’re doing…and it just makes it confusing with soccer, which actually is played with the foot).

OUCH! My brain hurts. Maybe I shouldn’t get mad at my daughter anymore for asking stupid questions. It’s harder to do than it seems! Why don’t you give it a try before the day ends and see if you agree! Feel free to leave your comment here with YOUR stupid question.

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Cousin Blocks

2012-01-26T02:37:00.000-08:00

My husband and I come from big families.

Which makes for alot of cousins for my little son.

The only problem is that we don't get to see all of them since we are scattered in different places.

However, when we do get to see them I want my son to know who his cousins are.

So I decided it would be fun to make him some cousin blocks.

All you need to do is get some wood blocks. I made mine 1.5 x1.5 because Ty has over 40 cousins.

But if you don't have that many you can always make them bigger blocks.

I then painted them or you can just paint the edges which I should have done since I ended up covering the whole thing anyway;)

Next, I cut out different pieces of scrapbook paper to decorate some of the sides. For my blocks I used two different patterns for the girls and different ones for the boys. I printed off each of the cousins pictures and then printed off a paper with their name on it plus to help him learn his ABC's I made the first letter of their name behind it. (Sorry I don't have a professional camera so it's hard to tell how they really look. I will say they are cuter in person)

After you have all the pieces cut out, you simply Mod Podge them on. Let it dry and then you sand each edge so its smooth. I also ruffed my edges up a little so it looked distressed.

I then Modpodged it all over again to help seal it.

I loved how they turned out and my son loves to play with them!:)

I did make some extra blocks for future cousin arrivals. And you can always easily update your blocks by putting a newer updated picture right on top of the other.

They also fit perfect in his toy pail and add to the decor:)

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Link it Up Wednesday #13

2012-01-24T21:30:00.000-08:00

Lucky #13!

This is our 13th week doing link parties!

That is crazy!

It feels like just yesterday we started seeing all your amazing creations!

Well, thanks for stopping by each week and playing along!

Here is our most viewed link from this past week:

Barbie Hair Fix by DIY HOME SWEET HOME found here

And now our top picks:

Char

Pinterest Inspired Bathroom by SPRUCE YOUR NEST found here

Andrea

Goodie Boxes by ALL THE QUIET THINGS found here

Tiffany

DIY Stain Pretreater by THE BROWN EYES HAVE IT found here

Heidi

Acts of Love V-Day Countdown by INSPIRED BY FAMILY MAGAZINE found here

Tenille

Chocolate-Strawberry Shish Kabobs by GIRLS AND THEIR MEALS found here

Kelly

Chocolate Cherry Torte by AUNT NUBBY'S KITCHEN found here

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Valentine's Day Ideas

2012-01-24T02:40:00.000-08:00

I know Valentine's Day can be a bit overrated and cheesy sometimes...but you have to admit, when it comes to showing those you love how much you truly do, Valentine's Day is the PERFECT time to do it (and do it cutely too)! :-)

I love doing cute little things for my kids, their teachers, church lessons or visiting teachers, and of course my husband!!

Here is a sampling from years past...

*felt fortune cookies

*Framed quotes that say "The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it." by Thomas S. Monson

*lollipop valentine's

*heart shaped pancakes

*personalized mailbox filled with goodies for teachers

*mailboxes for the kiddos

I love making cute unique Valentine's for my kids to hand out...one year I did the shovel idea with the saying "I dig you" attached.

Of course you have all seen the heart shaped crayons. That was a fun one to hand out. I attached a note that said "You color my world"

I made the edible crayons one year from Gourmet Mom on the Go. They were super easy to make and the kids LOVED them!

This diy Valentine is so personal, so easy and so fun to hand out for the kiddos!! Snap a photo of them with their arm extended and pop a lollipop in once you have printed them off!

And these mailboxes were bought in the dollar section at Target years ago. I put my kids names on using vinyl and they love to receive a small treat and gift each Valentine's.

- Posted from my iPad

Bread Sticks

2012-01-23T02:41:00.000-08:00

OK, I admit it... I love bread in any form. Sure the health food people these days will tell us that it's not good for us but my philosophy is that if it's mentioned in the Bible, then it's on the list of things that are good. Let's see, should I side with the health food opinions of the day which change on a weekly basis or should I go with the fact that Jesus was willing to call Himself the Bread of Life? I'll go with Jesus on this one. Sacrilege and blasphemy aside, here is a recipe I got from my beloved sister Heidi that my family loves and that we eat almost as often as we read the scriptures.

Bread Sticks
1 tbsp yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 c warm water
1/2 tsp salt
Mix, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. Add 3 1/2 c flour, knead for 3 min. and set aside covered until it is double in size. Roll out onto a greased cookie sheet.

1/4 c melted butter
1/4 c parmesan cheese
1/4 c mayo
1/4 c mozzarella cheese
garlic salt
parsley
Mix together and spread on rolled out dough. Slice and bake at 350 F for 18 minutes.

I love this recipe because you can whip it up relatively quickly when you just feel like your meal is going to need a little somethin', somethin'. I only wish that the recipe called for a specific amount of garlic salt. Sometimes I get it too light because you don't want to make the mistake of getting it too heavy, if you get my drift. You can't mess up the parsley, it's just there for the aesthetics, but the salt can ruin a good breadstick. I just give several good shakes of the bottle, give it a mix and a little finger taste test to make sure I'm in the ballpark.

A few pictures to get you more interested:
First mix your dough together. I am old fashioned and just use my trusty wooden spoon. It works just fine and doesn't dirty 17 different little gadgets and gizmos that need to be taken apart with a fine tooth comb and washed by hand (or you might could say that I'm lazy and don't want to take the time to drag the machine out, plug it in, and have dishes that need handwashing when my trusty wooden spoon is just right there). This particular batch of dough is not pretty, but it's okay. Jesus said that it's what's inside that matters, after all.

After it has doubled in size, grease your cookie sheet, plop the dough on the pan, and roll it out. This is why it doesn't matter what it looks like after the first step because you're just going to smush it flat.

Mix your topping ingredients together and spread on top of the rolled out dough. I usually just do this with the spoon I used to mix it together with.

Don't forget to slice it after you've put on the spread. Much easier to do this before you bake then it will be after, trust me.

I usually cut it into 8-9 across, and then 3 rows, as shown below.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the final product. They disappeared too rapidly. Hope you enjoy!

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