Events

  • Song: “I Love You More Than You Ever Know” by Michael Ruff

    I was looking for a good song about “love” when I came across this one.  Even though we have the opportunity to celebrate with the one on Valentine’s Day every year it is important to show appreciate and love towards our spouses throughout the year.  Yes, some days are easier to express appreciation than others but if you intentionally do something thoughtful for your spouse everyday it will be a blessing not only to them but your marriage and family.  Try doing something thoughtful specifically for your spouse every day for a week, month, or more and let me know how it goes for you!

  • Recipe: Beach Bucket Cake

    Beach Bucket Cake (with cake crumbs for the “sand”)

    I made this recipe a few months ago for my Community Group and it was a big hit.  As we get closer to the Spring / Summer season I wanted to share this one with you.  It was easy to put together and has a fun presentation for get togethers with family and friends.

    Beach Pail Cake:

    • 1 Yellow Cake Mix
    • 1 (8 oz) Cool Whip
    • 1 (3 oz) Instant White Chocolate Pudding
    • 1 cup Milk
    • 2 cups Strawberries
    • 2 cups Blueberries
    • Clean beach pail, shovel and shells

    Made the yellow cake mix according to directions.  Cool and cut up into cubes (see picture below) and set aside.  Mix together the instant White Chocolate Pudding and one cup of milk.  Add the container of Cool Whip to the pudding and mix well.

    Put 1/3 of the cubed yellow cake in the bottom of your clean beach pail.  Next put half of the pudding and cool whip mixture over the cake layer.  Add half of the strawberries and blueberries for the next layer.  Then repeat saving 1/3 of the cake but using the remaining cool whip and fruit mixtures.  Crumble the remaining cake cubes and sprinkle over the top.  Add your shovel to serve the desert and favorite seashells for decorations.

    1. Yellow cake cubed and put in the bottom of the beach pail

    2.  Layer cool whip and pudding mixture over cake layer

    3.  A layer of strawberries and blueberries comes next

    4.  Second layer cubed yellow cake

    5.  Second layer cool whip mixture

    6.  Second layer of strawberries and blueberries

    7.  Cake crumbs on top to make it look like “sand”

    8.  Decorate the top with seashells or beach items. Add the beach shovel and enjoy!

    There are a lot of great variations to this cake.  I used what I had on hand in our pantry but you could do it with a pound cake instead of a yellow cake or substitute vanilla pudding instead of White Chocolate or add in different seasonal fruits!

  • Organized Chaos: Wrapping Paper Organizer

    Wrapping Paper Organizer

    There are oh so many reasons why I love my husband….here is just one of them.  About 10 years ago when we moved into this house I had all my wrapping paper organized in a box.  Yes, it was all in one spot but since it was all crammed together it would often get torn or the roll I wanted would be pushed behind several other wrapping papers so I couldn’t find it or I would find the paper but had no tape.

    One day I came home and my husband had put together this awesome wall mounted wrapping paper organizer for me.  I may have even squealed with delight upon seeing it I was so excited!  I LOVE that each wrapping paper has its own individual holder so I can easily grab the one I need.  As you can see I try to stock universal wrapping paper that can be used for multiple occasions.  Also a pair of scissors and tape remain hung up on the wrapping paper organizer so when I need to wrap a gift or better yet when my husband is wrapping a surprise gift for me everything is ready and accessible.  The wrapping paper organizer is hung in a storage closet over our deep freezer.  Everything I need is in one place – the wrapping paper, scissors, tape, flat surface (the deep freezer) with the bows and pens stored nearby.

    Organized Gift Wrap with Scissors and Tape

    Each wrapping paper roll is hung individually and can  be taken down as needed.   Every once and awhile I will have more than 11 rolls of wrapping paper if I hit a good sale (or stock up for the year after Christmas or other Holidays).  If I have more than 11 I keep the new ones in their original packages, store them either in a container under the bed with my bags and tissue paper or another place out of the way until I am ready to put another roll onto my wrapping paper organizer.  This system keeps me from having a lot of open wrapping paper sitting around with 1 chunk cut out of it, helps prevent tearing or wrinkling, it’s easier to find the one I want, and overall increases my efficiency when it comes to wrapping gifts for family and friends.

    Scissors and Tape hanging on the gift wrap organizer

    I hang a pair of scissors and a roll of tape on the wrapping organizer to make them easily accessible.  When the tape gets used up I put it on my shopping list and hang the new one up so it is there for the next time.  Whether I have an upcoming birthday party, baby shower, wedding, graduation, Holiday or another special event I know exactly where to go to wrap my gifts.  Having the wrapping paper organized helps make the process of gift giving not only more efficient but more enjoyable!

  • Ghirardelli Milk & Truffle Chocolate Squares

     

    Delicious Milk & Truffle Chocolate Squares from Ghirardelli

    An extra special package came in the mail recently from Ghirardelli and SheSpeaks!   The box contained a bag of Ghirardelli Milk & Truffle Chocolate Squares.  I made sure to wait until my husband was home to open them because just looking at them made my mouth start watering.  If they were anything like the other chocolates I have had from Ghirardelli I knew we were in for a special treat! Oh my…..they were DELICIOUS….melt in your mouth goodness!

    The perfect mix of flavor and texture…any chocolate lovers dream!

    Ghirardelli has taken their chocolate to a whole new level with these Milk & Truffle Squares!  The Milk & Truffle Squares have a rich slow melting outer layer of milk chocolate with a luscious truffle filling on the inside.  The flavor and texture is heavenly!

    Individually wrapped Ghirardelli Chocolate Milk & Truffle Squares that melt in your mouth

    After receiving these and enjoying them so much my husband and I decided to stretch them out for as long as possible.  Each night after the kids were in bed (shhhh….don’t tell the girls…..hehehehe) we would sit down for our quiet time together and each have a Ghirardelli Chocolate Milk & Truffle Square.  One square was the perfect amount for an extra special treat in the evenings after a busy day!

    Ghirardelli bag full of Milk & Truffle Chocolate Squares

    If you enjoy any of the Ghirardelli Chocolates or gourmet chocolate these Milk & Truffle Squares are perfect.  They would be a wonderful for a Birthday gift, Valentine’s Day, Anniversary, Mother’s Day, your next Date Night or a special surprise for anyone that likes chocolate or truffles in your family.  You can find the Ghirardelli Milk & Truffle Chocolate Squares at most major stores (Target, Walmart, Walgreens, and more).

    Goodies from Ghirardelli and SheSpeaks – Bag of Ghirardelli Milk & Truffle Squares and Coupons

    Thank you Ghirardelli and SheSpeaks for giving us the opportunity to try these wonderful Milk & Truffle Squares!  We LOVED them!   I already have the coupons in my purse for the next time I go to the store so we can pick up some more.  They are amazing!  Thank You!  Maybe the next bag of Milk & Truffle Chocolate Squares we’ll share with the kids too!  🙂

    As a member of the SheSpeaks, I was given samples of this product to write an informed review.  The opinions expressed in this post are my own.  I was not paid to write this post.  A special thanks to SheSpeaks and Ghirardelli for providing the samples to review and the coupons to use on more products!

  • Happy Birthday Brina & Karlie!

    Happy 7th Birthday to Brina & Karlie!  We love you sweet girls.  It is amazing how quickly these last few years have gone by and we are thankful for the many wonderful memories we have shared.  Wishing both of you many more awesome years of great times! 🙂

    Photo Credit

  • Recipe: Swedish Baked Potatoes

    I had the family’s Valentine’s Day Dinner celebration pretty much planned out based off the items that I had in the refrigerator and pantry (steak, baked potatoes, fresh stir fry vegetables, fresh fruit salad, cherry limeade fruit punch from the girls birthday party, poppy seed french bread, and cheesecake).  Since I had gotten potatoes on clearance at the grocery store earlier I wanted to do baked potatoes to go with the steak but was hoping to try a different recipe.  I adapted this recipe from SeasaltwithFood and it turned out really well!  Everyone in our family LOVED these potatoes (including the kids)!  The girls even wanted to know if they could take the leftover potatoes to school for their lunches the next day they like them so much.  The best part is they were pretty easy to do.  They had much more flavor than regular baked potatoes plus we didn’t add any additional butter or toppings because they were so tender and tasty (which means they were probably healthier for us too).  This one has become family favorite already!

    Swedish Baked Potatoes:

    • 4 large Potatoes
    • Garlic Seasoning
    • Olive Oil
    • Sea Salt

    Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Place the potato on a cutting board and make thin slices down the whole length of the potato (each slice should go almost all the way through the potato).  Put potatoes on a baking tray or in a baking dish.  Sprinkle Garlic seasoning over each potato. Make sure some garlic seasoning gets down in between a few of the potato slices on each potato for extra flavoring.  Spread butter over the tops of each potato with a butter knife.  Brush olive oil on over the butter.  Sprinkle the sea salt on top of the potatoes.   Bake for 20 minutes on convection oven or 40 minutes if baking regularly (bake until potatoes are tender).  When done the potatoes will be soft on the inside and the skin will be crispy.

    You can put butter, sour cream, bacon pieces, and cracked pepper out as additional toppings for those wanting more flavor.

  • Family Activities: Celebrating Valentine’s Day

    Valentine’s Day Heart “Attack” surprise for the girls

    Our family had a blast celebrating Valentine’s Day together!  Jake and I went out the Saturday before Valentine’s for a Date Night and to celebrate.  On Valentine’s Day I took goodies and helped at the girls class party as well as celebrated with the family that evening.  It was a fun relaxing time together.  The girls loved having an extra special dinner together in the candlelight as a family.    For dinner we a fun conversation as we ate steaks, baked potatoes, fresh vegetables, bread, fresh fruit salad, Cherry Limeade punch, and cheesecake.  Here is a little tidbit from our Valentine’s Day celebrations:

    Heart shaped cinnamon rolls for breakfast

    Valentine’s Day Breakfast

    Valentine’s Day “love” notes on the girls bedroom door

    Valentine’s Day fun for Brina & Karlie (looking from their room out to the hallway)

    Brina’s Goodies’ from Grandpa & Grandma

    Karlie’s goodies from Grandpa & Grandma waiting on her barstool at breakfast

    Hugs & Kisses Tigers

    Karlie’s Valentine goodies from her classmates.  (With the word “Bushta” written across the front too, silly girl)

    Brina’s Valentine envelope full of goodies from her classmates

    Jake’s dinner plate – stick of dynamite with little heart notes….

    You’re the bomb!

    You’re the extra spark in my life!

    You ignite my heart!

    My heart explodes with love for you!

    You light up my world!

    The girls loved Daddy’s sticks of dynamite made out of rolos and love notes, they couldn’t wait for him to see them!

    One of the girls plates for Valentine’s Day Dinner with the family

    Our Valentine’s Day Dinner table


    Be My Valentine decoration hanging from the ceiling fan over the dinner table

    Conversational hearts center piece

    Valentine’s Day Dinner table

    Brina & Karlie worked hard on their Valentine’s Day Cards!

    A stack of love notes for Jake to take with him on his next trip……one note for every day we are apart!

    “I Love Jacob” written in hot pink lipstick on the mirror (the girls wanted to know if it would clean off the mirror or be permanent)

    Heart balloons with love notes attached and flower petals to make the room more romantic

    It was a wonderful Valentine’s Day with our family!  We had a great time decorating, talking, celebrating, and enjoying our time together as a family.  Thankful for days when we can relax and celebrate our love for each other.  Although, we spent time this week to focus on our love it is important that this isn’t just a once a year activity.  Taking the time to celebrate our love regularly is just as important.

  • Happy Valentine’s Day: Every Love Story….

    I am thankful for an amazing family.  My husband is the love of my life.  Today is a great day to share just a few of the reasons why I love my man so much! 🙂

    • Jake encourages me to continue to grow and learn.
    • Jake cooks delicious meals
    • Jake loves me for who I am
    • Jake cleans and pitches in around the house
    • Jake works hard to provide for our family
    • Jake is my best friend and my life partner
    • Jake is the leader of our family
    • Jake is generous and kind
    • Jake is considerate
    • Jake is an amazing Daddy to our girls
    • Jake is the spiritual leader for our family
    • Jake spends time with our family
    • Jake can make me laugh
    • Jake knows how to make me feel loved and appreciated
    • There are many reasons why I LOVE YOU JAKE!

    Photo Credit

  • Be My Valentine: Valentine Cake Batter Rice Krispies

    Valentine Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats

    The girls have to bring a goody for their school Valentine’s Day party.  When I asked them what they wanted me to buy or make they both said to bring the Valentine’s Cake Batter Rice Krispie treats with “extra sprinkles”!  I made this recipe earlier for another event so they were excited to try it out before their party.

    Heart shaped Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats with sprinkles

    The girls loved making this little Valentine Rice Krispies.  We added a little bit of cake batter, a drop of red food coloring, and some sprinkles than used cookie cutters to make the hearts.

    Having fun making designs with the Valentine Cake Batter Rice Krispie hearts

    We had fun making different designs with the treats.  Their favorite design was the flower.  Since we were taking them to more than one party we were able to have some fun getting creative with the treats.

    Rice Krispie Hearts of different sizes

    The big heart cookie cutter was cute, but we did more of the small heart to make sure everyone had a rice krispie treat to enjoy.  Thankful that the girls requested a pretty easy treat to share with their friends.  Do you have to bring treats for your kids classroom?