she doesn’t care about looking goofy

she doesn’t care that she doesn’t match

she wants to be original

and i always say “if there is one thing i want to do as a mom, it is to let her be exactly who she wants to be…without influence from me, jerime or the world…NO JUDGEMENT, NO GUILT…with the intentions of only living life and loving DEEPLY”

i’d say she’s well on her way

i also know there are things i never want to forget…because everyday, we talk about how big she’s getting and how in a few years, she’ll slowly start venturing out more and we’ll sit up at night and listen for her to come back home….this morning, we realized we are so lucky that she is only 8…right now…we get her 100% of our lives…every single day….she can’t drive, she doesn’t work, she isn’t going to parties…. but when those days start …

we always want her to know

• that her laughter can light up our whole world
• that when she is sad,sick,or scared, i don’t quite know how to pick my heart up off the ground
• that even though they are invisible, i can guarantee you she has the most beautiful wings
• that everyday i sit on our living room steps and stare out our big picture windows watching her walk home from school…smiling, i watch her turn the corner and slowly walk towards me…taking her time, stopping to sit in the snow, looking up at the trees, picking up sticks, turning this way and that…arms swinging at her side….living in her own care free world….i love watching her live her little life..so innocently and full of love~
• at night, when she sleeps, she smiles without knowing
• when i push her on the swings, i want to push her so high that she touches the stars
• everytime i pack away last season’s clothes that are too small…i pack a piece of my heart, knowing she is growing far too fast
• when she says out of the blue “mommy, i love you” there’s are hands down the best 4 words i will EVER hear in my life
• that there is no one else like her in the world

Even when it seems I haven’t a moment to spare and I’m running on empty, I have to constantly remind myself to be present and be thankful for each crazy day. Jerime and I hope to enjoy this fast-growing~ little angel and we know this lifetime flies by us at a blurry sprint.  We may not have the biggest house or drive the best cars but we know how blessed and loved we are~ and that’s pretty much all that matters

oh, and i will always make her snickers chocolate cake

Cake Ingredients

(this is the only cake recipe i EVER make….it is fail proof!)

• 1 box chocolate cake
• 1 box sugar free chocolate pudding
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup diet coke

pour cake mix and pudding into a bowl and mix…add in 3 egg whites and yogurt and beat until combined…slowly pour in diet coke while mixing… for a layer cake, spread into two round cake pans and cook each separately at 350 degrees for 20-25 min….when out of the oven, trace knife around edges and then place a dinner plate to cover and flip cake upside down and leave until cooled…i have found this to be the best way to get the cake out of the pan without any of it sticking…if you are making just a regular sheet cake, cook at 350 fro 35-45 min (recipe also here)

Caramel Sauce

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup whipping cream

melt over low heat and continue stirring until melted and combine…bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes stirring constanstly…let cool before spreading on cake

Homemade Whipped Cream

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 2 heaping T powdered sugar

in kitchen aid mixer…beat whipping cream until soft peaks form (about 2 min~i like my whipped cream a little thicker) then beat in powdered sugar

you will also need 2 snickers bars crushed up (i froze for about 15 min. and then put into ziplock baggie and then crushed with a hammer) and crushed up walnuts

to assemble cake:

once layers are cool…flip first layer onto flat surface and spread half of caramel sauce over cake and sprinkle on chopped walnuts…slowly and carefully flip second layer of cake onto first and spread rest of caramel sauce onto that….then spread whipped cream over top and sprinkle the snickers bars onto that! be prepared to make this over and over again! it was a hit! 

Shopping List

• 1 box chocolate cake
• 1 box sugar free chocolate pudding
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1 can diet coke
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• pint of half and half
• powdered sugar
• 2 snickers bars
• walnuts

  an article of clothing with a fair amount of odor, grass stains, paint stains or “ooops i just missed my mouth” stains, could be considered dirty if left in the washer for too long and has that lingering musty scent, can also mean shirts, pants, dresses that have been worn multiple times (socks and underwear DO NOT fall into this category), clothes that cannot pass the febreeze shower test

the only thing exciting and creative in my life right now is putting together an outfit with the few clean clothes i have remaining in my bedroom….

please 

please

please tell me that i’m not the only one who walks around in stinky clothes from time to time? anyone? anyone?

to those of you who keep up on laundry every day,  i salute you…you are my heroes

i have found three solutions to overcoming this problem…

1. stay outside as much as possible…close quarters and small proximities make for smellier experiences…also, this is a great oppurtunity to let your children know you are not a MOM-DRO-MAT

2. when all else fails….make your legs look like giant crayons…people will be so distracted by the color that they won’t notice your funky smelling clothes *sidenote…i am not a model….but i do rock a lot of colored tights…take that giselle!

*side side note…every time you see me in public and i’m wearing colored tights, DOES NOT MEAN I STINK!!! so don’t judge primarily on appearence

do i have you confused yet? good, i’ve got you right where i want you

and finally

3. find a husband who loves you even at your worse…i wish i would have put into our wedding vows that i won’t be accountable for piles and piles of dirty laundry… thanks for loving me through loads and loads of laundry and funk! 

Lessons to learn from this blog

1. my smelly outfits bring all the boys to the yard….granted they are carrying laundry detergent …but still….
2. i’ve become quite a pro in hamper diving and clothes mountain climbing
3. there is no segway to connect dirty laundry with food recipes

DEAL WITH IT! 

Orange Sticky Breakfast Buns

• frozen bread dough (i used 2 loaves and thawed overnight)
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) salted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 to 3 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice
• Grated zest from 1/2 orange
• 1/2 package of vanilla cook and serve pudding 

in a small bowl, combine butter, sugar, oj and zest and then pour into the bottom of a cake pan…sprinkle half package of vanilla pudding and cut the bread loaf into small pieces and drop into pan over top of butter/pudding mixture (just like i did here in caramel sticky buns) bake at 375 for 20-25 min

when done, flip over onto parchment or waxed paper and spread glaze over top….best when eaten warm out of the oven

Orange Glaze

• 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt 
•  3/4 cup powdered sugar
• Grated zest from 1 orange
• juice from freshly squeezed orange juice

• 4 avocados
• 1 roma tomato diced
• 1/4 cup red onion diced
• garlic
• juice of half a lime
• 1/4- 1/2 cup cilantro (i really think this is what makes or breaks the guac…i LOVE cilantro so i do the full 1/2 cup)

place all in vitamix and mix on level one-variable 3 for about 15 seconds….don’t overmix because you still want it chunky…remove from mixture and salt to taste…i even added a bit more lime juice at this point….i’ve tried tons of guac recipes and this was by far the best… i’m sure you could also make these without a blender

serve the guac with chicken crockpot nachos

Chicken CrockPot Nachos

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breasts (thawed)
• 1 bag frozen corn
• 1 can black beans
• 1 jar salsa of your choice
• 1 8 oz block of light cream cheese
• 1/2 package of taco seasoning

Yoga with my darling

and a lunch date after at Josiah’s Coffee House…we had a wheat berry salmon salad and it was FABULOUS

couldn’t ask for a better life

and starting the weekend off with Swedish Meatballs…yes please! 

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 pounds hamburger
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 cup panko italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• green onions diced
• garlic powder
• parsley
• sea salt and pepper
• carton mushrooms
• olive oil
• 2 T butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1/2 cup half and half
• salt and pepper
• cornstarch with cold water to thicken sauce 
• noodles of your choice

Directions

beat eggs and milk in a small bowl and set aside….in a large bowl, mix by hand hamburger, bread crumbs, onions, garlic, parsley and salt and pepper…once mixed, pour in milk and eggs and combine again….form into meatballs and arrange on an aluminum covered cookie sheet…bake at 350 for 30 min

sautee mushrooms in olive oil until tender and set aside

in a skillet, melt butter over medium heat and then pour in flour and stir to combine…once combined, whisk in beef broth and keep whisking to get out lumps….bring to a boil, continuing to whisk…once boiling, add in half and half and season with salt and pepper…if it is not thick enough for you….in a small cup add 2 T cornstarch and then add cold water…stirring to combine….when gravy is boiling, add a little at a time until desired thickness…*gravy must be boiling to work

once meatballs are done….place into the skillet with gravy and cover and simmer on low low heat for about 20 min…

serve over noodles or mashed potatoes

Enjoy your weekend! 

These are the days that make me long for spring…because it’s the most wonderful time of the year….i can hear some of you tsking me and saying “NO, CHRISTMAS is the most wonderful time of the year!!!” but i say you are wrong….it’s spring…spring is the most wonderful time of the year! 

one of the only things i love about this time of year is it brings out my inner “curtis stone”….i love cooking when it’s cold…although, really, what else is there to do then to stay home and cook?  curtis agrees, he called me yesterday and told me to prepare for my eyelashes to be stuck to my eyeballs in the next few days….he is also an expert on weather emotions and he LOVES following my blog

well, the birds just finished singing me a song and pulled our curtains back with their tiny little beaks…so now i must go and clean up the mess from last nights dinner

Homemade Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds hamburger
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 cup panko italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/4 onion diced
• *garlic
• *basil
• *oregano
• sea salt and pepper

Directions

beat eggs and milk in a small bowl and set aside….in a large bowl, mix by hand hamburger, bread crumbs, onions, garlic, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper…once mixed, pour in milk and eggs and combine again….form into meatballs and arrange on an aluminum covered cookie sheet…bake at 350 for 30 min

once done, i add into the spaghetti sauce and let simmer on low for another 15-20 min….my favorite spaghetti sauce is Ragu Garden Style to which i saute mushrooms, diced red peppers, zucchini, onions, garlic and salt and pepper in a skillet before adding the sauce…serve over angel hair pasta

Maple Walnut Brownies Topped with White Chocolate and a Maple Brown Sugar Butter Sauce

(if you think that sounds super rich…you are absolutely correct)

• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 T butter (softened)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

in a small bowl, combine soda, powder, salt, flour and walnuts and set aside….in your mixer cream together butter and brown sugar until combined and then add in egg and vanilla…continue to mix and then slowly add in flour mixture beating slowly until combined (at this point, i forgot to add the white chocolate chips to the batter so i melted mine in a saucepan on the stove over low heat and spread over top of brownies after i pulled them from oven…you can choose to do either way….you can’t go wrong when it comes to chocolate trust me) ….spread into a banana bread loaf pan and cook at 350 for 25 min or until done…. when done, let cool for 5 min. and then serve with ice cream or frozen yogurt and drizzle with maple brown sugar butter sauce and sprinkle with additional walnuts if desired

Maple Brown Sugar Butter Sauce

• 1/2 cup real maple syrup
• 2 T butter
• 1/2 brown sugar

melt all over low in sauce pan and keep warm until serving….

stay warm my friends, stay warm

Today…..  

wait….yesterday….yes, let’s begin with yesterday

Yesterday i was madly craving chocolate chip cookies….M.A.D.L.Y. 

but my conscious won and i decided not to make them

this morning begins a whole new story….

woke up

chocolate chip cookies on my mind

made coffee

the only thought was cookies dipped into it

made a grocery list

chocolate chips were on my list (coincidence? i think not!)

home from the grocery store and the argument begins

“make them”

“i can’t”

“why?”

“because i’ll eat them all”

“so?”

“but i shouldn’t”

“yes, you should”

and i did….and they taste so divine

Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 T butter (softened)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups quick cooking oats
• 1/2 bag dark chocolate chips
• sea salt

cream together sugars and butter, add in egg, applesauce and vanilla and continue until mixed…in a separate bowl add flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, pour flour mixture into wet mixture and stir by hand until combined…pour in oatmeal and stir until combined and then fold in chocolate chips…drop by tablespoons on a cookie sheet and cook for 10-12 min at 350….sprinkle sea salt over top right when they come out of the oven

look at all these beauties….JAZZ HANDS! 

plus i had to celebrate….yesterday, my favorite place to shop had a HUGE sale

i got a new dress….okay

 A LOT of new dresses

sure, i understand i got 4 pinkish dresses….but seriously…who would pass up a pink dress?

a terrible person…that’s the answer…a terrible person would pass up a pink dress

and 2 new coats

i have a talent for shopping…it’s a God given gift…

and when these dresses come in, i may just have to put one on and wear it for the day…and feel like a fancy little princess…and get invited to a fancy little party….and have a fancy glass of wine with lunch….

oh yes, there will be wine! 

2 things that piss me off

1. when i’m out of ice cream

2. and when people copy our artwork

a long long time ago, i was a 2nd year pre-law student who decided to switch paths….it was a time before pinterest, a period before etsy….in this era, we had to come up with our own original ideas, paint from our hearts, watch our dreams and inspirations slowly develop through trial and error…

we built up our business through color and hardwork….creating every.single.piece from tiny little corners in our heart….birthing new artwork along the way….

we grew

and grew

and reached

and flew

and ended up where we are today

I just spent all morning erasing our artwork off of etsy and pinterest….we’ve had a few people tell us they are seeing our ORIGINAL artwork at a few places…..we have eyes and ears everywhere…and for that we are grateful! One place that has been  popping up a lot is the city of Mitchell…..really? It’s mom and my husband’s hometown….do those people think we never go back there? so, this week we plan on taking our legal copyright documents and going on a special operation art moms hunt road trip….we are coming for you copy cats! if there is one thing that deeply PISSES me off, it’s people who copy originality…..talk about lacking talent and tact….

but i am grateful for facebook, we have every single album and photo documented with dates and times….you can see our growing process from albums to albums…you can see our ideas being born….and if this isn’t proof that these are our originals….our copyright and legal documents should be a dead giveaway….

lesson of the day….DON’T COPY THE ART MOMS…..we will school you!

but you can copy these

Apple Fritter Muffins

Ingredients:

for the coating:
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
14/ cup butter, melted and browned*

MUFFINS
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup applesauce
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
3 cups finely diced apples (about 3 large)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping;  Set aside.

*To brown the butter:  In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat until melted and starting to foam.  Stir occasionally while the butter continues to cook, turning a caramel color

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt….In the bowl of your mixer, cream together the 1/3 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup sugar … Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined….Gently stir in the flour and milk, a bit at a time and alternating (1/3 of the flour, 1/2 of the milk, 1/3 flour, 1/2 milk, 1/3 flour) until just combined….Fold in the apples and spoon into the muffin tins…bake for 20 minutes …let cool and then take each muffin and dip it in the browned butter and then roll it in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

most people start new years with resolutions

• lose weight
• eat healthy
• simplify
• blah, blah, blah

well, i work on my parental discipline skills trying not to shout out “did you see that santa….did you see that”…

doesn’t work after christmas…and i tried it for awhile with the easter bunny….but it didn’t seem to have quite the same effects (just kidding, i never threaten santa clause….he’s one of my heros…yes, i’m 35 and i still kinda believe!)

Biggest Loser and Bachelor start this week…be still my heart be full my dvd….if you need me tonight, i’ll be popping buckeyes in my mouth as i enjoy jillian and bob beating up their contestants…. (and for all you “i plan to lose weight” resolution-ers out there … you can pretend i said this…..i’ll be eating whole organic foods and training for my marathon!) psych!!!!! 

Mini Crispy Buckeyes

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 cup butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups rice krispies
• 1 3/4 cup chocolate chips (i combined dark chocolate and milk chocolate)

preheat oven to 350…grease mini muffin tin and add a little less than a tablespoon of chips into each muffin cup…bake for 5 min….take out of oven and with back of spoon smoosh melted chocolate down into tin…in a mixer, combine peanut butter with butter until smooth…add in powdered sugar and vanilla…mix and then stir in rice krispies….spread a tablespoon full of rice krispie mixture over chocolate cups and put in fridge for 15 minutes…store leftovers (if any) in fridge….recipe adapted from Crunchy Buckeyes

and here is the seafood enchilada recipe i promised to blog about well over 2 months ago….okay…so i’m a little late….but better late than never…..right?

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 red pepper diced
• 3/4 cup corn, i use frozen
• 1 T garlic
• 1 lb shrimp
• 1 package imitation crab
• 1 1b scallops
• 1 cup spinach leaves
• 2 cups cheese divided
• 1 cup 1/2 and 1/2
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1/2 tsp parsley
• 2 T fresh cilantro
• tortillas
• salsa, sour cream, black olives etc for topping

preheat oven to 350…saute onion, pepper, corn and garlic in a little bit of olive oil…add spinach and saute 3-5 min until wilted….add shrimp, crab and scallops and cook another 4 min…remove from heat and add 1 cup of cheese….in another small saucepan add 1/2 and 1/2, sour cream and parsley…heat until luke warm…fill shrimp mixture into tortillas and place in a glass casserole dish…pour sour cream mix over top and sprinkle with cheese and fresh cilantro…bake for 30 min. take out and let sit for 5 minutes….we love topping ours with INCA’S salsa, black olives and shredded lettuce

did everyone have a good weekend….well, i bet it wasn’t as good as these enchiladas….carry on!

what you ask?

stayed in my pajamas almost the entire day yesterday

at 430, i decided i must run to hyvee to get ingredients to start dinner….and run i did *just kidding, i drove actually*

but between that and cooking an awesome meal last night, i was exhausted….so exhausted in fact, i just woke up….and i have the pillow marks on my face to prove it…..

apparently when i slept last night, i meant it

i knew i had to share these recipes today so i tried to conjure up some fabulous story to go with it….but this is what you get when i rock pajamas all weekend….weird things come out of my head….

you’re welcome …..

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups Bisquick Baking Mix
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 T butter
• dash of garlic salt
• 2T butter
• garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes

Directions

preheat oven to 400, combine bisquick and cheese in a bowl, add in milk and butter that has been melted in the microwave and throw in the salt, mix to combine

drop dough onto cookie sheet and then combine the rest of the butter (melted), salt and parsley flakes in a small dish and spoon over top of each biscuit…bake for 14-16 minutes or until they brown slightly…these are best served warm

Dark Chocolate Coconut Sea Salt Carmalitas

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup melted butter 
• 2 tsp baking soda
• caramel ice cream topping
• 1/2 bag milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 bag dark chocolate chips
• flaked coconut
• sea salt

Directions

preheat oven to 350…in large bowl combine flour, oats, butter and baking soda….press half of mixture into a 13×9 pan and bake for 10 min….remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips and coconut and then drizzle with caramel sauce….sprinkle with sea salt…and cover with remaining oats…bake for 15-18 minutes

come on….go ahead….try them….

they are so easy….like stealing candy from a baby….which i do all the time….it’s just that easy

happy.

happier.

happiest.

• 4 T butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 light sour cream or light vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 tsp zest from a lemon
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 giant handful of fresh blueberries

cream together butter and sugar, add in egg, beat until mixed, fold in sour cream or yogurt and add lemon zest, mix together, in separate bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, add to wet batter and stir to mix….careful not to overstir….fold in blueberries….the batter is thicker than i was used to but i just scooped into 12 muffin cups…bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes until tops are browned….let cool for 3-5 minutes and then add glaze over top

LEMON GLAZE

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• juice of a lemon until desired consistency

spoon over muffins….take out of muffin liner, take your first bite, thank me for happiness.

we started off the year with a Disney Cruise (best vacation EVER)

and enjoyed the little bit of snow that we got last year

in march, we decided to celebrate Gracie’s “very merry un-birthday”

i dreaded april….i knew when it arrived, it meant my soldier would be leaving

his departure was early morning…this is one of the last photos i captured…so much emotion in one little shot

it was time to move forward….i ate a lot of ice cream

we enjoyed okoboji

but there was always a piece of me missing~ so everyday, i would send Jerime messages via facebook…just little photos and snippets of what’s happening back home

we did lots of facetime sessions

baked cookies

sent 18 packages

did a surprise photo shoot

shared our first snowfall together

and tried every single way to show love and support to him

he returned the favor by sending us pizza one night….one day i told him i was sad because no one ever showed up at my door with food….later that night…we had a surprise pizza delivery…i cried…ate pizza…and cried again

i learned to accomplish many things…..flat tires

killing a bat

morning coffees alone

throwing an 8th birthday party for our little darling without him

going to weddings without him

first day of school

but for each hurdle we accomplished, we got a “YOU DID IT” post it note

before he left, we put 216 gummy bears in a jar (one for each day he was gone)…halfway thru we switched to almond joys and then ended with sour patch kids…it was so amazing to finally see the bottom

what was even better~ seeing this on my phone….i hadn’t seen it in months…and my heart lept into my throat upon this first phone call, telling me he was finally back on US soil

it was time to go to the airport to pick up my love

but first, we spent the afternoon playing hooky and decorating the house for his arrival…yellow ribbons around every tree and red white and blue EVERYWHERE

i cannot express the emotion i felt when i seen him come down the escalators

a little girl, who missed her daddy, was also completely struck with emotion

and finally our family was back together…right.where.we.belong.

we enjoyed one more emotional reunion….with the dogs

and of course, the following morning, i made pancakes for breakfast….i loved just watching them together….so blessed

at the end of november, a few of the military husbands, surprised their wives with a trip to vegas

we had such a great time

the whole month of december was spent at our 3rd Art Moms and Friends Holiday Boutique

 and we ended the year with a special toast of Irish Whiskey Jerime brought back home….wishing you all the greatest blessings in 2013!