We're WILD about Babies!

 So, I guess babies are all the rave right now, because beside my own, I had a hand in two other baby showers this summer. This one was one I threw for one of my SIL, who after three beautiful little girls, finally was blessed with a boy. Eddison James was born July 3rd, 3 days after ToriLynn.

Here are the favors I did up. They were so simple and inexpensive to make. The boxes I got at the Dollar Tree (12pk for $1) and the elephant and giraffe are Sizzix Dies. The "grass" was just colored card stock and Martha Steward "grass" scissors. We just filled them with animal crackers! I also did these for a friend's shower after ToriLynn was born. Her little man, Xander, was born in Aug.

 





The little jars are full of yummy fruit dip, that went along with the fruit skewers I did up. (and did NOT take a picture of) I wrapped baby food jars with blue vellum (left over from invites) and punched labels from open card stock that I used for the background of invites.


 



This was a casual shower at my other SIL's house, so that they kids could come and play in her beautiful backyard. So, I doubled the outfit gifts as decorations. We just hung them on a clothes line with different colored clothes pins. We didn't play any games, but we did draw Thank You envelopes for door prizes. Here is the Lotto Wreath I did up that morning as I was walking out the door! :)


 

So by the end of the year, our family will have welcomed three new little ones to the gang! Two boys and a girl. My BIL's wife, is due in Dec. Although I'm not making anything for the shower itself, I'll be sure to post pictures  Her Mother and Aunt run a party planning business and her Aunt is a photographer. So I'm TOTALLY excited to see what they have planned! :)  
 

The New Addition!

Eddison James 

July 3rd 2012

6lbs 12oz 20in

Not the only one that has Bad Days....

So Shawn and I celebrated our 7 yr anniversary this year (7/17/05). Because we had just had a baby and babies are expensive (even before they're born! lol) I tried to find something that would be nice for him, he's kinda hard to buy for, and homemade! I have been obsessed with Pinterest since I found it, so I did a little searching. I came across this: a Bad Day Box!

Patrice (Cropsy Turvy) was having a yard sale, and I HAD to have this box for $.25. Had absolutely NO need for it when I bought it, but came in handy very quickly! lol The paper I covered it with, I bought on clearance at Michael's. It screamed "SHAWN" (literally) when I found it and again I HAD to have it, with no real purpose for it at the time. I knew it would get used, eventually.

 My next stop was the Dollar Tree. I went around and picked up little things that Shawn either likes or I thought were cute.

I put an index card in the top inside, explaining what was in the box and why. I included Nutty Buddies and Cinnamon Pop Tarts, a little energy boost drink, Double Mint gum, "Sugar Daddy" chap stick, A Million Dollar candy bar, lighters (because although I would love him to quit, he has yet to kick the cancer stick habit), and a personal ABC book. I bought ABC flashcards (also from DT) and wrote on the cards themselves. They came out pretty nice :)

 This is the poem I put on the front. He got a real kick out of the box and I had a lot of fun making it! It sits on his dresser (mostly collecting dust), but I catch him every now and then catching a glance at it and smiling! Mission Complete!

My Welcome Back!

Life has been crazy busy the last couple months! We welcomed our Sweet Baby Girl, ToriLynn, on June 29th. 7lb 11oz and 19 1/2 inches long! What a blessing! Trying to balance three kids, a husband, a dog, and now a cat takes a lot more time than I thought. School has started and now our family is somewhat on a schedule.








I would like to feature something I found while on my "leave"! I came across an app (for my nook) that I absolutely LOVE! Its called PepperPlate. This is a recipe keeper, menu planner, and you can even build a shopping list from the different recipes you choose. You upload your recipes from you computer (which then sends them to your mobile device) and then you can take them anywhere you want! This app has been a true life saver and just really great! Below is the website, so you can set up your own. Did I mention this app is FREE! How does it get any better?! Let me know if you try it out and how you like it. Or if you need any help! Have a great day!

Pepperplate.com

Disfunction!

This menu was to help me be on top of making dinner every night, but I have failed! I forgot to take the chicken out Monday and didn't remember until time to make dinner. I was very busy on Pinterest! lol

Anyway, our Crispy Coconut Chicken was good. I tried to limit my spices, because of the kids, but may have limited too much! And I have never used Panko crumbs and may not be a big fan. Not giving up on them yet, we're going to continue to work on our relationship! lol The sauce was a HUGE hit! Nicholas (our 2yr old) eat it by the spoonful! And I may never have to go back to the "Lobster" restaurant again! I really think that's the only reason why I go.

On the Menu tonight, Cheeseburger Pizza! I'm really excited to see how this goes. My kids like hamburger anything and Nicholas always wants pizza (even when he really doesn't!) Below is the link for the recipe. Please remember that if you tried it, comment and let me know if your family enjoyed it! Thanks and Happy Cooking!

Cheeseburger Pizza! 

How's it going?!

I really hope that all that are following the menu are enjoying their new recipes as much as my family is! I know also we have made some changes to some of the dinners. If you have done the same, please feel free to share with everyone! Last night we did the Pork Chops with cream of mushroom soup. To make this a non healthy dish (lol), my husband added bacon to the top of the pork chops. Made a difference and we really enjoyed it :)

Tonight we are doing the Coconut Chicken and Red Lobster Pina Colada Dipping sauce! I'm TOTALLY excited! We will be trying it also with shrimp, but this week, we are going to try chicken. Below is the recipe again and I'll let you know how it goes! Let me know if you try this tonight too and how you liked it!

 

Coconut Chicken

Dipping Sauce

First Post!

I'm so excited to start this blog. Hopefully it will be helpful to those that read it AND be the motivation that I need to keep up with a menu! lol 
I will be posting a menu every two weeks. (This is based on when I do my grocery shopping.) I will have a link to the new menu. The menu will include what we're having for dinner and the website to find the recipe. I also am on "Pinterest" and usually find my recipes on there....so I usually repin what I'm interested in making. If I'm making a family favorite, I will post the recipe right on the blog. 

Week Feb 27th - March 111th, 2012