creating it up. it's not rocket science.



i saw these HERE and knew it was a DIY i could handle.
these cute mailboxes are found in the dollar section @ target....
don't you just love that place?!
i also found the 'love' paper there.  the striped stuff is from christmas clearance.
*take off the front door and trace around it on your paper
*cut it out and glue with simple elmers glue
(it kinda decoupages right on there....warning: rips easily)
*i free-handed my letters on the felt
*i liked the look of an outline color so i just laid the second color behind
and cut around the first
*glue those letters on.  you can try elmers like i did....
but i ended up hot gluing some along with the dollar store candle sticks


all our kiddos woke up this morning with 2 notes in their boxes.
one from me
and one from justin.
tomorrow i'm putting candy hearts in each
{shhhhhhhh....}



a green light saber cake is what caleb ordered
for his 6th bday
{after i talked him out of a power rangers cake.  mercy}
i took a 9x13 and separated it into 3 sections using aluminum foil
(2 cake mixes worth....with some left over)
frosting covers the seams when you put it on thick enough!
(i used canned frosting.  i know.  whatevs.  anyways i whip it first and it spreads magically)
chocolate ganache frosting was the popular-flavored handle
oh.  and i cut triangular shaped pieces off the top to make the tip of the saber.
{my 6 year old was impressed at least!}

when i saw these HERE i was like no.way.
but i've done black bean brownies before
so when i realized i had some chickpeas on hand
from unmade hummus i thought,
' i'm so making these'
and i did
{with a few minor alterations....}


chickpea wonders
1 can chickpeas, drained and blended well (holla magic bullet!)
2 tsp vanilla (i added this to chickpeas to blend easier)
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 cup oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp baking powder
 (note:  you're using soda and powder....)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar


mix all stuff together and stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips
bake in greased 8x8 glass dish at 350
25 minutes and then bake 10 minutes more with foil laid on top


i thought i was being so sneaky.
but justin said right away when he saw them
"what'd you put in them?"
and jonathan added,
"yeah.  i've read in my 'diary of a wimpy kid' book that moms sneak healthy stuff into food"


the verdict?
we like em.
{ i think you will, too }
come on, be courageous.....it's a new month


happy february to all!


linking up with Jessica!
go check out her blog HERE
{she's one kool kat}

it's friday and you're going to want this.

it's friday.

does anyone besides me get overwhelmed with all the meal prep

a weekend holds?

my kids seriously want 3 meals a day

{can you believe it?}

sometimes that really baffles me.

----------------------------------------------

my kids get a lot of breakfasts of cereal, oatmeal, and bagels

(yawn)

and a lot of lunches of ham/cheese or pbj sandwiches

(bor.ing)

but when it comes to dinners i try to add a little creativity to the mix

you know,

so my kids don't decide to live at school for the glory of hot lunch options.

(holla)

my new years resolution is

less McDonalds in the name of failed meal prep

{so far so good}

to celebrate this 27th day of the year

and a new years resolution still going strong

i'd like to gift to you a james fam fav of a dinner......

needed:

1 lb ground beef, browned

1 Tbsp onion powder

1 tsp chili powder

dash of salt & pepper & garlic powder

8 oz can tomato sauce

1 cup corn (canned or frozen)

2 cans jumbo bisquits (i used great value)

8 slices American cheese

once you brown your meat, let it cool slightly***i need to insert here that i always have already browned meat frozen and on hand.

it's because i'm not a fan of the stuff

and browning and freezing it as soon as i buy it

takes away some a little of the dislike. 

{and it's super handy for a quick meal prep}

okay.  moving on....

mix all ingredients together EXCEPT cheese slices

flatten one can of your bisquits on a cookie sheet

scoop 1/4 c mixture onto each one

lay a piece of American cheese on top

flatten other bisquits (on a table top or counter) and then gently place on top

seal the edges together like a pie crust, bringing the bottom bisquit up to meet the top

bake @ 400 for 10-15 minutes until golden brown

(reheats pretty well wrapped in foil in 375 degree oven for 12-15 minutes)

easy.

portable for an on-the-go kinda night

(are we the only fam that seems to have a lot of those these days?!)

happy meal planning and making.

it's not my fav thing

but what's a girl to do?!

my fam likes to eat

and so do i

have a super day!

{a little pure.cuteness}

when life gives you snow make it edible

last snowfall i was asked if we could make snow ice cream
but it just never happened
as soon as jon walked in the door from school
all covered in winter wonderland that was falling from the sky
the first words out of his mouth were
'can we make snow ice cream?'

i pulled out the recipe from my old neighbor, cara
it said, 'one gallon' of freshly fallen snow
(i had to google one gallon to convert it to cups)
i decided to make half the recipe
...and definitely add some chocolate!

snow ice cream:
8 cups snow
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 Tbsp vanilla
1 cup milk
1-2 T chocolate syrup (i didn't measure)

{mix together.}
eat immediately.



snow.cream.
caleb insisted on wearing all his winter gear while consuming
matthias was slightly disturbed that it was made of snow but was brown in color
charity kept sticking her finger in it saying, 'cold'
jon was pretty stoked that it worked
and i got major mom points.

i'm not a fan of ice cream but i tried a spoonful out of curiosity
and would like to report it tastes like a wendys frosty

however, it so did not make up for the snow cancelling my plans
to meet one of my besties at the mall for cinnabon at 10am
{that was just a bummer.}

snow...
here's to putting up with it
and enjoying the smiles it brings to the kiddos



6 ingredients or less




I had this cookbook when Justin and I were first married
that I used for almost every meal
six ingredients or less
it was awesome because it lived up to its title.
I became addicted to the simplicity and now basically judge a recipe
by its number of ingredients
these cream cheese squares are delish
but more importantly fit right into the 6 ingredient standard I have set
perfect
perfect for Christmas morning and any morning you want to serve your fam
something more exciting than cereal, instant oatmeal, or poptarts
{not that I'm above that level of breakfast service most mornings}
...because they are made the night before so they're all set
bonus
bonus time for brewing your pot of coffee
{or maybe that's not needed because you got one of these for Christmas}
LOVE

love, love, love...
{especially when I locate a clearance Kcup sale @ walmart)
but anyways
I share with you my cream cheese squares recipe
because it's a james fam fav
and a breakfast Christmas tradition around here we enjoy


~Cream Cheese Squares~
2 pkgs crescent rolls
2- 8oz  cream cheeses, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, separated
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp cinnamon mixed with 3/4 cup sugar

Spread one package of crescents in the bottom of 9x13 pan. 
 Mix cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla.
Spread evenly over crust.
Place the other crescent roll over the top to form a top crust.
Beat egg white until frothy and spread some on top.
Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture on top
and colored sugar if festiveness is desired.

Bake @ 375 for 25-30 minutes. 
When cooled, place covered in fridge until ready to serve.

note:
tastes just as great on december 28th

happy 'content children playing with new toys' day.
happy 'crying children learning to share new toys' day.
happy 'lazy morning in pjs and time for blogging' day.

she sees you when you lick your fingers...

nothing says Christmas goodies
like these rolo wreath treats
nothing says quality time with my boys
like keeping them up past their bedtime
and making them together

it was full of fun
it was full of multiple handwashings
it was full of misplaced m & m's and broken pretzels
it was full of loud noises
and rolo wrappers all.over.the.place
(which Jon wanted to save...)

rolos
circle-shaped pretzels
m & m's (or pecans)

place rolos inside pretzels
bake @350 for 3ish minutes
place candy or nut on top

be so concerned your little guys will burn themselves
that you scorch your own thumb.
don't actually do that
but I, of course, did.

happy Christmas goodie making, all!

spaghetti made from squash and what we feel like around here.



smiles from this cutie pie have been few and far between
this last week
we're a bunch of sickies over here
a lot of "downtime" has been had.....
and I can't say that's been bad
sure, the sickness (me included) has been no fun
but the extra time just chillin with the kiddos has been snuggly



Justin captured this candid moment with Matthias and me
I was looking at some school papers for his big brothers
and he just helped himself to my lap and curled his little self around me
LOVE

I've loved the extra moments we've had to just chill....
(what else do you do when even the tv gets boring
and not even your energetic children can get off the couch
to do anything?!)
there's been a lot of chillin


a lot of meds
a lot of OJ
a lot of vitamins
a lot of extra pj wearing
a lot of cuddles and kisses
a lot of tissues
a lot of "you're going to get better soon"
a lot of my prayers going like this:
"help, please Jesus!"
{as I peel my weary self off the couch to meet needs...}

my fav conversation came this morning
as we missed church for the second Sunday in a row.....
I attempted to hold a church service of my own for my children
complete with a few moments of Charles Stanley on tv
{it's okay.  Justin laughed at me, too
given the audience was our 8, 5, 4 and 1.5 year olds!}

and spent time memorizing our new family Bible verse
{Jeremiah 29:11}


and spent time talking about heaven.
no more sickness there!
woot.  woot.


everything new.
some of my fav 'new things' the boys wish for in heaven:
Jon:  new sports
Caleb:  new liquids!
{I'm guessing they're talking about liquids at school. 
he's been pretty fascinated lately}
Matthias:  new socks that say M-A-T-T
{he was wearing his brothers socks today
because most of his have holes
and he needs, yet again, some new ones to wear out!}
Jon was pretty excited for me
that there's probably going to be new coffee in heaven, too


bring on heaven.

we didn't actually stay inside every minute of this last week
the boys school had their costume parade.
caleb called himself the 'oh no' doctor
"you know, the one who gives shots all the time"
{ooooh.  scary!}

{Luuuuke.  I am your father.}
this is precisely why Justin wouldn't allow me 
to give one of our boys this name (though I loved the name Luke)
Jonathan rocks both the Vader suit and the shoes with bright orange laces
classic costume meets third grade

we cheered on our parade participants
and then the youngers and I headed to the school library
for our own little party
complete with goldfish crackers and McDonalds orange drink
and spider-themed bookmarks to color

what does dinner look like when you feel like
youknowwhat?
throw a spaghetti squash in the crock
rock it for 5ish hours on low
(I turned it a couple of times)
cut it in half, remove seeds
and use a fork to remove the 'noodles' that magically appear
top with a jar of spaghetti sauce
and you could call it dinner


{or overachieve like I did
by baking some refridgerator biscuits
sprinkling them with parmesan cheese for 'breadsticks'
and then boil up some pasta to add to the squash for those
who think noodles should really be 'noodles'
partypoopers.
oh, and I think I microwaved up some edamame, too
cause even though I give my kids poptarts
I really value nutrition.}


and that's us.
sickies.
lounging on couches
try not to be jealous, k?

rock the crock and the big game

it's been awhile since I've rocked the crock
and with the humidity and heat kickin it up a notch
I knew it was time to bring it.
and keep my kitchen as cool as I could.
what I didn't expect was the YUMMY smell in the air
as this applesauce chicken slow-ly cooked....

here's what you need
chicken (I used frozen chicken chests)
1 T minced onion flakes
2 cups applesauce
1 T cider vinegar
2 tsp minced garlic (I use jarred)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (it gives a kick!...may skip next time)

it's as easy as laying chicken in the bottom
and pouring all the goods on top

Rock the Crock
on low: 5-7 hrs
or
on high: 3-4 hrs

Caleb thought it was okay.
But you need to understand this boy of mine
is not really into food
So I'll take 'ok' and make it again
and serve it alongside the cheddar potatoes
(which Jon requested and was really stoked about)

---Caleb's Big Game---
He was so excited to be playing on the same field as his big bro
He was even more excited to drink his Powerade
And possibly even more excited to run the bases over and over and over again.
He loves to run.

And I love him.


happy monday, all!

grocery list:
chicken
onion flakes
applesauce
cider vinegar
minced garlic
cinnamon
red pepper flakes

keen-wa?!



keen-wa
it's how you pronounce 'quinoa'
this whole grain that I'm totally digging right now



there are some recipes on the back of the box of different things you can make
but I was served this quinoa salad at a friend's house for lunch
and have made it twice since
--because it's that good--
first, you need to know where to find this ancient grain
and you can locate it near the rice
it's made a lot like rice
the first step is to mix together one part quinoa
to two parts water
(I did 1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water)

mix together
cover loosely with cling wrap
and microwave for 8 minutes
when it comes out, give it a stir and let it sit
for 12 minutes
heat it up again for 2 minutes
stir again
place in fridge to cool

here's some goodies I found to add to the quinoa:
1 cup corn
handful of shredded cheese
3 pieces broccoli  (see next pic)
2  roma tomatoes (the first time I subbed canned tomatoes because that's what I had)
1 cup italian dressing

chop up the broccoli super small
and the tomato pretty small as well
--this is a great salad to make because you can sub what you've got on hand--
carrots, peppers, cucumbers, etc

mix it all up together and serve alongside Nacho Cheese Doritos
at an outdoor dinner of brats and baked beans

beautiful summer night
great food
super company
quinoa

does it get any better?

have a SUPER wednesday saying quinoa
(keen-wa)
over and over and over again
cause that's what my husband likes to do
(it is a fun word to say)

two cool dudes just chillin