Thank You Mister UPS Man...

...for delivering my new drinking jars all in one piece :)

I got these cute little mugs from Amazon and I'm convinced they are the exact same ones that Potterybarn sells. Only Potterybarn sells 6 of them for $24 and I got 12 for just under that!

Fill 'er up with a little sweet tea and I'm set!

Today's gonna be a good day :)

Jack and the Beanstalk

This is just too cute! I had to share...Jack and the Beanstalk as told by a 2 year old!

Happy Wednesday!

7 Layer Salad

This salad is one of my favorites. It's easy and pretty...perfect for your 4th of July get-together!

INGREDIENTS:
6 c. spinach or salad greens
2 c. grape tomatoes, halved
1 c. red onion, chopped
1 1/4 c. frozen peas, thawed & drained
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered

DIRECTIONS:
1. Layer in order listed above in a 2-quart serving bowl.

2. Garnish with bacon & eggs.

3. Serve with store bought Poppyseed or Ranch dressing OR with homemade dressing (listed below).

DRESSING: 

1 c. mayonnaise

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1 Tbsp. distilled vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk all ingredients together and serve on the side.

Monday

I'm working on a new project. It has something to do with a printers' type drawer. Any guesses?

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These are much nicer looking than mine, but I'm hoping to change all that :) I hope to have pictures to share later this week.

I hope you had a great weekend!

Because I am Loved

I had a little quiet time this morning before the kiddos woke up and it was very apparent that God had a message for me today...

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Do I do things because I am loved, or because I want to be loved?

Excerpt from this devotional:

"Because I am loved, I can humble myself.
When I'm trying to be loved, I must build myself up to look better.

Because I am loved, I can cast all my anxiety on Him.
When I'm trying to be loved, I cast all my anxiety on my performance.

Because I am loved, I can resist Satan and stand firm in my faith.
When I'm trying to be loved, I listen to Satan and stand uncertain trying to rely on my feelings.

Because I am loved, I know God will use this to make me stronger - and I want that.
When I'm trying to be loved, I don't want to be made stronger - I want life to be easier."

This was a good reminder for me today, especially since I tend to fall into the people-pleaser category.

I hope you know you are loved!

Little Potted Gardens

I found this idea here and since one of our summer activities was to plant flowers, I thought this would be a fun activity for the kids.

We started by painting some little wooden houses. I found these at Micheal's for $1!

We used foam brushes and craft paint

And here are the finished houses (I made one too)

Next, we filled up some plastic bowls (found in the $1 section at Target) with rocks, moss and soil. Decorated with flowers and accessories and VOILA!...pretty little garden bowls.

One activity checked off the list. 40+ to go!

Summer List

Since today is the official first day of summer, I thought it would be appropriate to make our summer list. So that's exactly what the kids and I did this morning.

Happy Summer, officially :)

Mason Jars

Mason jars are so versatile. I've seen pies in a jar:

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and cakes in a jar:

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and lighting:

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AND THIS is the mother of all mason jars:

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But, recently I saw this:

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Spray painted mason jars for vases! So cute, colorful and easy. For Mother's Day, I made them for friends and family in lots of different sizes and colors. I even used other glass jars, like pasta jars, salad dressing jars, olive jars, etc.

Spray paint is amazing. And comes in almost every color you can think of. It was a fun project and adds beautiful color to any space! Now go and make one (or ten)!

Happy Father's Day

This is my dad. He is...
Wise.
Kind.
Generous.
Hospitable.
And hard-working.

I couldn't ask for a better Dad. I look up to him so much.


And this is the father of my children.

Photo by Emylyn

He is...
Handsome.
Fun.
Loving.
Hard-working.
And has a BIG heart for others.

He is such a good daddy and I'm so blessed to have him in my life.

Both are God-fearing men who sacrifice and provide so much. I love you both very much! Happy Father's Day!

Lemonade Cake

Today was my boy's last day of school. He's officially a kindergartener now! How did that happen?

He had a special program at school with a red, white & blue theme in honor of Flag Day. So, naturally, Sweet Pea and I made a Lemonade (Flag) Cake! This cake is SO EASY and really, really yummy! Here's what you'll need:

INGREDIENTS:
1 boxed white cake mix
1/2 c. water (not pictured above)
1/3 c. oil
3 eggs
1/2 c. frozen lemonade concentrate (thawed)

Mix all ingredients together. Bake as directed on the box.

For the frosting:

adapted from Cooking Light April 2003

DIRECTIONS:
8 oz. cream cheese (reduced fat cream cheese is fine, just don't use fat-free)*
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
zest of one lemon (about 2 tsp.)
1 Tbsp. frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar

* Make sure cream cheese is cold. The frosting will be too thin if you use room temperature cream cheese.

1. In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together cream cheese, butter and lemon zest until smooth.

2. Add powdered sugar, lemonade concentrate and vanilla. Beat on low until fluffy.

3. Spread evenly over cake.

And there you have it. BUT WAIT! Make a fruity flag for even more deliciousness.

I used 12 oz. of raspberries and 3 oz. of blueberries to make the flag. Strawberries would be very good as well!

This cake is perfect for the kick-off to our summer! You could make this as a layered cake, which would be beautiful. Lemonade Cupcakes would also be fun to make. These fun (and free!) printables from The TomKat Studio would be a perfect addition

Happy Summer and have a great weekend!!

Easy Sweet & Sour Chicken

This is one of the easiest dinner I make. It has VERY few ingredients and is really good! Here's what you'll need:

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 (20 oz) can of pineapple chunks, juice reserved (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 c. teriyaki sauce (I used Trader Joe's Island Soyaki Sauce)
1 green bell pepper, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. oil

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oil over medium heat and add chicken. Cook chicken until cooked through. Season with garlic, salt & pepper.

2. Add pineapple juice and teriyaki sauce. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

3. Add bell peppers and pineapple. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until the peppers are softened, but still a little crunchy.

4. Serve over rice.

YUMMY! So easy. So quick.

Girls' Shared Bedroom

Since the arrival of our baby girl in April, we had to make some changes around the house. One of the changes was the bedroom situation. We decided to put the girls together in the same room. Here are some pictures of the end result:

Extendable Bed from Ikea. Canopy was a garage sale find!

that cord is buggin' me!

Yarn covered letters

Fun chandelier from Ikea

Needless to say...she loves it!!

Ice Cream Party

One month ago, our little sweet pea turned 3 years old! She's such a sweet and sassy lil' thing!

In honor of her birthday, we did a fun Ice Cream Parlour Party, where everyone got to make their own sundaes.

Ice Cream Cake (idea from One Charming Party)

Ice Cream Cone Cake Pops (idea from Bakerella)

Hats from Bake It Pretty

YUM-O!

Goody Bags

Contents included:

Ice cream bubbles, pouch of Ice Cream Parlour Jelly Belly mix, and beads to make a personalized bracelet.

Party On!