Jack graduates 4-K

May 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment

jack (1)Last night my baby graduated from 4-K, which means next stop: Kindergarden. Gulp. Jack’s preschool had the cutest little ceremony. They sang a few songs and then put their little homemade graduate caps on and sang a song called “when we grow up”. This is the point where Jack’s mama totally lost it. Cue the tears; some happy, some sad. When you read the lyrics below you will understand why I got so emotional. I know you hear people say this all the time but it really only feels like yesterday was the day Jack came into our life and instantly made it better. Now he is 5 years old, becoming more independent every single day, not needing his mama as much as she would like, and he is going to KINDERGARTEN. I simply cannot believe how time flies. When you have kids you automatically get advice from other parents like, “enjoy them while they are little because they grow so fast” and it couldn’t be more true. You never realize how fast it really goes until you raise your own children.

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Mommy and Daddy are incredible proud of you Jack Timothy, you are truly a blessing in our life and you have learned so many new things in 4-K this year. MUAH.

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Now picture thirty 5 year olds belting out this cute little tune…

When we grow up in a long, long time
Just you watch me, I’ll go far.I’m gonna’ be a superstar.
When I am 10, I’ll learn to cook.
When I am 10, I’ll read chapter books.
When I am 10, I’ll play guitar.
Just you watch me, I’ll go far.
I’m gonna’ be a superstar.

 
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When I’m 16, I’ll go on dates.
(this is the exact point where I lost it. I was like HE IS NEVER GOING TO BE 16 WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?)
When I’m 16, I’ll stay up late.
When I’m 16, I’ll drive a car.
Just you watch me, I’ll go far.
I’m gonna’ be a superstar.

 
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When I’m 35, I’ll fly a plane.
When Im 35, I’ll have a big brain.
When I’m 35 I’ll own a car.
Just you watch me, I’ll go far.
I’m gonna’ be a superstar.
When I’m 101, my skin will be bumpy.
When I’m 101, I might be grumpy.
When I’m 101, I’ll put my teeth in a jar.
Just you watch me, I’ll go far.
I’m gonna’ be a superstar.
When I grow up in a long long time,
Just you watch me, I’ll go far.
I’m gonna’ be a superstar.

 
jack

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Filed Under: kids, life Tagged With: ,

Sour cream brownies

May 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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I have made a TON of brownies, from the box and from scratch and NOTHING beats these. They are so moist and the sour cream gives them a creamy-ness that regular brownies lack. I am telling you, if you try one new recipe make it this one. As soon as I discovered this recipe about two months ago, I have been making them just about every week and they don’t last long around here! They are a dream brownie…not too rich, the perfect about of chocolatley-ness, crumbly as a brownie should be but moist enough to make real good, big, chunky crumbs. You guys feel me?

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I am in love with Tastefully Simple’s Classy Chocolate Pound Cake mix, I use it quite a bit with I need a fast dessert. (peanut butter swirl chocolate pound cake was another one of my favorite uses for this mix)

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Ingredients

Instructions
  1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together pound cake mix, melted butter, and sour cream.
  2. Pour into a 9×13 baking pan.
  3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Are you all enjoying this weather? It is beautiful by us but it looks like rain the rest of the week, which I feel like that is God being like “hey, now you don’t have any more excuses not to start your laundry missy! The weather is rainy so just get it done!” Oh laundry. One time I was like if I do a load of laundry every single day from start to finish maybe I can keep up with the laundry! Yeah! Well right now I have two baskets full of folded laundry waiting for me to put them away and piles and piles of dirty laundry waiting to be washed, so ask me how that worked out for me. How does one keep up with laundry for 5 people, especially in the summer time when clothes are getting sandy and wet and the kids are needing a few outfits a day? I would like to know how! I think laundry is like one of those things that when you run into parents who have grown kids they say,  you will miss all the laundry piles when the kids are grown and gone. And to that I say, don’t even get me started about my kids leaving me or the tears will start a-flowin’!

Did you enjoy all that boring laundry talk? Hey, you know what you should do instead of your laundry? MAKE THESE BROWNIES.


 sourcreambrownies

 

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Filed Under: desserts, It's What's For Dinner Tagged With: , ,

Stuffed pepper soup with quinoa

May 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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One morning I woke up craving stuffed peppers. You know the cheesy rice & meat filled ooey gooey kind, that you ate growing up that you can never make as good as your mother made them? But it was a cold and rainy day so I was thinking I would try this stuffed pepper sensation in a good soup. Still having quinoa on the brain, I decided to skip the rice all together for this recipe and opt for a healthier option (quinoa) without sacrificing the flavor.

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I went into the recipe kind of expecting it to be a total failure because I had no guide what-so-ever. But remember how I said my best recipes come from just using what I have on hand, to try and make a new recipe? Winging it when it comes to cooking is kind of my thing, and this recipe is the best proof. I was so surprised at the flavor of this soup and I think Ralph was equally as surprised about how delicious it was. I kept saying things all day like, ” don’t get your hopes up for supper, this may be a total disaster!” Luckily that was not the case.

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This soup isn’t a whole lot of work either. Once you get everything in the pot you just let it heat all day and make your house smell amazing. You could make this in your crock pot instead of on the stove if that’s your thing. The recipe says “chopped” for all the veggies but we like things chunky around here so I left my veggies a little bigger. You can adjust that if you would like.

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Stuffed pepper soup with quinoa
 

Ingredients
  • 1 container chicken broth (32 ounces)
  • ½ cup uncooked red quinoa
  • 1 yellow pepper, chopped
  • 1 orange pepper, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 4 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 jar of chunky, mild salsa
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
  • ½ can of any kind of beer
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ tablespoon salt
  • ½ tablespoon pepper

Instructions
  1. In a large pot on low heat, combine chopped peppers, chicken broth, salsa, parsley and cilantro.
  2. In another skillet, fry up the ground beef. Drain and add to your large pot.
  3. In the same skillet (rinsed out), heat chopped onions and celery with the beer on medium heat until onions are translucent and celery has changed color.
  4. Add entire celery/onion/beer mixture to your large pot.
  5. Add uncooked quinoa, and water to the large pot.
  6. Season with salt and pepper.
  7. Cover and heat on low for at least 3 hours but up to 8.
  8. Add cheese 10 minutes before serving.

Notes
You may need to add water once the quinoa cooks.

AHH the weekend is here again and we are excited for it! Last weekend (Mother’s day weekend) was great minus the fact that I was battling migraines all weekend. I made the mistake of drinking REAL caffeinated coffee on Friday after months of drinking decaf, and it welcomed my migraines back almost immediately. NEVER AGAIN. At least I know that caffeine is my migrane trigger I suppose! We still managed to do our family Color Burst 5k, and go to a couples comedy night at church featuring Kerri Pomarolli and her husband Ron McGehee. They were absolutely hilarious…we loved their act! Ralph let me take a good long nap on Mother’s day which might possibly be the best gift ever, because if you know me, I NEVER nap. And then we spent time with the best mom’s in the world–all in all, a dream weekend, migraines aside. My boys treated me well, but then again, they always do.

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Filed Under: crockpot, gluten-free, It's What's For Dinner, life, meals, soups Tagged With: , ,

Staple jersey skirt- 3 ways

May 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Spring casual look 1

 

To the beach

 Suit. Shoes. Skirt. Glasses. Hat. Blouse.

 

date night
With the weather warming up I am so excited to be packing away my sweaters and pulling out my spring/summer clothes. I have had summer fashion on the brain as we are getting ready to go on vacation in just a few weeks. I adore this skirt SO much and I really am excited about how versatile it is. I am a sucker for stripes and anything comfy, so this skirt and I, we really mesh. Is anyone else also loving that pastel colors are still lingering around, and on trend for this summer again? You can never have too much mint in your life, can we agree on that?
What are your favorite spring or summer trends this year?
Happy Monday!
mondaysinspiration
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Merlot meatballs

May 9, 2013 by

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Did you ever just crave a really good, hearty meatball with an ooey gooey sauce? I know I am not the only one. This recipe will be sure to take care of those cravings, no problem. I usually only make meatballs for holidays but one rainy day I just had a hankering for some comfort food and my husband is crazy for meatballs, especially mine :) –So I whipped these up with some roasted red potatoes, steamed broccoli and they went over really well, even with one picky little 2 year old.

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There is something so comforting and homey about a juicy meatball with the right sauce, I’m not quite sure why.  These meatballs are made using Tastefully Simple’s Merlot Sauce, which has always been a favorite of mine and I think they really make the flavor of this sauce stand out. I love using Merlot Sauce as a steak sauce alone but it is great in my meatloaf recipe and delicious in these savory meatballs. If you need some Merlot Sauce you can find it here.

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Ingredients

Instructions
  1. In a large mixing bowl combine ground beef, garlic, seasoned salt, merlot sauce, salt, pepper, onion, breadcrumbs, and beaten eggs.
  2. Mix ingredients with your hands and roll into ½inch-1inch balls, depending on your preference.
  3. Place on a baking stone or greased baking pan.
  4. Heat meatballs at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Be sure not to over cook or the meatballs with get tough.
  5. Remove meatballs from oven and use tongs to place them in a slow cooker.
  6. Whisk together maple syrup, ketchup, honey and grape jelly in small bowl.
  7. Pour sauce mixture over meatballs and heat on low-medium for at least 10 minutes or until you are ready to serve.

 

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We have been out all week enjoying the sunshine-y, summery weather, doin’ summer things! I even have a slight tan! Thanking God for this beautiful week! Although it is supposed to cool down for this Mother’s Day weekend, we have some fun things planned! I hope all you mothers out there have a lovely weekend and I tip my hat off to you all. Being a mother is the hardest job ever with the most rewarding results. We all deserve a day totally devoted to us mommys!

 

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Filed Under: appetizers, crockpot, gluten-free, It's What's For Dinner, meals, sauces Tagged With: ,
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