Room Make Over-in a weekend! YAY!

Okay, so I don't know about you, but my bedroom in ALL the places we have ever lived, has been a last priority in being decorated, and often times used as a "shove everything in boxes and stack them up in the corner" room. I HATE THAT! 

I finally decided on a color scheme, and told myself I was going to do SOMETHING...It had been 4 years, this has gone on LONG enough! So I told my hubby that I wanted a clean bedroom for Mother's Day, and used birthday money for some supplies (lucky for me they are right by each other), and have been slowly collecting items (living within my monthly "crafting budget") and was able to make it happen! I am so excited!! I have never been so happy to open my eyes in the morning! Here are some of the things I did in my Room Make Over *still have  things to finish, like curtains, and repaint our dressers, but that will come with time).

I am so excited to show you my "new look" in our bedroom! I can't wait to get more things finished over time! 

This is my "striped wall" I made with colored butcher paper and pins. I currently rent, and we're not allowed to paint, but the bare walls were KILLING me, so I had to do something! I know fabric with the temporary glue with cornstarch would have been an ideal option, but it was too expensive for my budget! I ran out of paper and pins, so the wall isn't finished yet, but it will be soon! Look for a tutorial coming soon!

Dandelion Art picture I painted myself, I am pretty happy with how it turned out, especially since I am not the most artistic of people! My hubby loved it because it was yellow, I loved it because it gave the wall a little "pop". Tutorial on how I did this coming soon too!

Sorry this picture is blurry! Of some of the things to come...this is one of them. I am going to pain the picture frame and the & sign white so they stand out a little more, and blend in with the color scheme. I got my A and C from Joann's and modge podged paper on top. Used shoe polish (my favorite thing to distress with) to distress the edges! 

Rocking chair with yellow pillow....next!

My favorite thing I have done thus far!! I mentioned my birthday was recently, so these are the supplies I got to make pillows to go on my bed! Super easy, and with the great sales Joann's is having currently, I got for a major deal! 

This is "His" side of the bed. Again, one day our dressers will be painted! My hubby has all this "junk" he unloads out of his pockets every day and it drives me INSANE! So to solve the problem, we compromised with a "junk box" where he can put his wallet, badge, phone, keys, ect. and I can see nothing but pretty decorations! 

And this is "Hers" I need to paint my picture frame white (not blaring red) so that it'll match! But I am in love with how everything turned out! 

Thick, Hearty, may I even say Sexy Pancakes?!

So my wee one and I caught bronchitis recently and the thing I have been waiting most anxiously for is enough energy to cook again! I love cooking!

I have a large pile of bananas turning brown, and even more in my freezer, so I needed something to do with my bananas and ALL I could think about was banana oatmeal pancakes...EXTREME style! (haha okay, just really good!)

Here's what I came up with randomly throwing things into my bowl, and I must say, I was pretty darn pleased! I am not kidding you when I say these are thick, hearty, and sexy! (See my beautiful picture with all the goodness on top!)

So, I will admit, I am a texture person, and so I either have to go chunky, or not eat it! If it has any chunks at all, it's gotta be really chunky for me to be able to gobble it down. So you can make this a little less chunky if you so choose.

Blue Berry, Banana Oatmeal Pancakes:                          Yields: 6-8 medium to large pancakes




1 1/2 c. white wheat flour
1/2 c. oat flour (I ground up oatmeal in my mini seed mill)
1/4 c. old fashion oats
1 c. apple sauce
2 bananas (riper the better!)
1/4 c. blue berries (ours were frozen)
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
shake or two of salt

Add all the ingredients into a large bowl, use a hand mixer to mix. I left the bananas and blueberries a little chunky (not completely smooth mixture). Cook on a large griddle at 300 degrees for 3-5 minutes each side. *These are THICK so they need time to cook through* These are also not super sweet pancakes, so that is why I added the more sweeter toppings! You may play around as you wish to get the sweetness to your liking!

Top with butter, syrup, chopped up bananas, blueberries, cool whip, nuts, ect. Anything your heart desires! Enjoy!
 

Mother's Day Shelf Display

My husband knows that I enjoy crafting, decorating, and all the things he cannot comprehend why I enjoy them. He usually gets frustrated at all the things I want to buy, or do buy, because he doesn't understand what is so thrilling about decorating! We've come to an agreement that I would have a "seasonal shelf," which is placed in our entry way.

Each month I get excited decorate the shelf in a new way and buy a few things from the dollar store, DI, or my favorite local home decor shops to make it just a tiny bit better than last year (or in reference to ST. Patrick's day last year, it became an actual holiday on the shelf this year). I love it. I love that it gives me my little space, I don't have TOO much to store in seasonal decorations each year, and it makes celebrating all the holidays (even small ones) so much more fun for me!

This year was the first time I ever decorated for Mother's Day, and I have to say, it is probably my most favorite "shelf display" I have done YET! Probably because it is filled with people I love so much! I love the family history, the love, and wonderful women that have been in mine and my husband's life that is displayed in such a small space!

I want to share with you my "Mother's Day Shelf" in hopes that maybe you can find a "shelf" in your home and be as excited as I am each month when a new holiday or season arrives!

Mother's Day Tribute

Today is Mother's Day, and what a great day it has been. I have been blessed with a beautiful little girl, and a husband who loves me so much, a family who does nothing less of helping me to become my best, and friends to help me remember to have some "girl time" along the way.

For MANY years, Mother's Day was probably one of the worst days ever celebrated in my world, because it only reminded me of the relationship I didn't have with my mother, whom I only remember her image through photographs. I have longed and wished for that relationship to grow, and over the years I have learned and had experiences that have helped me realize, she is never far. The flip side of this, has also made me realize that Mother's Day is such a beautiful, and great day to remember those whom we love and have helped us become who we needed to be, and guided us to be the "Moms" we are today.

I have always struggled with Mother's Day talks, and how they almost always choose men to be the speaker, and talk about how "great mothers are" and they always refer to their wives, their mother's, and how grateful they are for them. Don't get me wrong, they ARE amazing, but I also think that a large portion of women are often forgotten on this day.

I wish that for once, someone would get up to the podium and say, "You are all Mother's, every woman in this room. Having a child of your own, is not the only qualifying factor that makes you a mother." SO many women struggle to have children of their own, are not at the point of having children in their lives (whether young or old), or have their own mothers-whom are not a part of their life, and all of those women, I think would agree, that mother's day is a big fat reminder of all of those hopes and dreams you don't have.

My life has been filled with so many beautiful and wonderful women, who have took me under their wings, and guided me through life as IF they were my mother (and many of those are outside of my family). I have truly felt loved by others simply because of their actions, their words, and most importantly their examples of what a righteous woman should be, and how I can someday be, just like them. Mother's are women, who have been given the ability to infinitely love God's children, in ways that no man can ever love. He gave women the ability to nurture, and strengthen themselves, other women, and children whom they come in contact with. He puts people in certain places, like Primary Teachers, Young Women Leaders, or Visiting Teachers, whatever the role may be, so that we may all be Mothers; with infinite love to those we serve. I know that I have been blessed by those women, who have reached out to me, and my family, whom I would call a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th... the list goes on and on, "Mother" in my life.

The world is blessed to have such beautiful, imperfect, yet loving beyond all measure, women in this world who can make a difference in people's lives by being a "Mother." In my opinion, as a daughter of God, you were meant to be a Mother in all circumstances, whether through your own children, your child's friend, the children you teach or mentor, the women you visit teach, the sisters you serve, the neighbor down the street, or the little girl who lost her mother at age 3. YOU were meant to love in all capabilities possible on this earth, YOU were meant to influence those for good, and YOU were meant to be a "Mother." 

I know that God will make all things work out in the Heavens. I know that we will all have families, whether in this life or the next, and that you will be a beautiful, holy, righteous woman, called by God to do the most important calling in this world and the world hereafter, TO BE A MOTHER. 

Sweet Potato Pancakes

I know this isn't anything new or magical, and I am sure you've all heard of or had Sweet Potato Pancakes before, but what you may not know is how easy they really can be to make! Plus it's a great way to sneek in some veggies that taste great! We (I), especially love this aspect of this yummy breakfast for my particular 2 year old eater! Anytime I can get her to eat fruits or vegetables without a fight, I am a happy mamma!

I like to buy sweet potatoes when they're on sale, or when I have produce coupons since they're more expensive.  I steam ours, puree it in my blender (adding some water because our blender is so....sad). I place them in ice cube tray(s), once frozen, I store in a freezer ziplock bag for easy use in the future.

We also make our own pancake mix. You can use store bought, it works just the same. On the morning we decide to make these pancakes, we whip out our pancake mix as directed (adding the liquid-water or milk until the end to make it the consistency we like) and add:
4 sweet potato cubes
1/2 cup of apple sauce
1 tsp of cinnamon (you can add more if you like)
1 tsp vanilla

...And Wha-la! You have tasty sweet potato pancakes! I've found they need to be cooked at a slightly lower temperature than regular pancakes, because the sweet potato makes it "thicker/more dense" and if cooked too high, the outside will burn and inside be gooey.

Here is our pancake mix we like best (I am working on making this healthier, or find a healthier mix-but I haven't found one we love yet!)

Classic Pancakes from Allrecipes.com          Makes 6-7 medium-large pancakes

1 c all purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tbs sugar or honey
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Silk pure almond milk or vanilla *regular milk/evaporated works just as well
2 Tbs canola oil
1 egg

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Add milk, oil, and egg, mix until slightly smooth. Cook pancakes on a griddle over medium heat.

*I want to try it one day with oat flour, now that I have a mill, I can! I also want to try lowering the milk amount so that we can continue using this recipe in an emergency, and use less milk.

Crock Pot Freezer Meal Series

Crockpot meals are always nice when life is crazy! Sadly, i wish i was better about doing this lately! Our typical conversation at about 4:30pm is, "So, what do you want for dinner?" Because we haven't planned our meals out (I hate that!) Here are a few of our favorite "go to meals"

 Southwestern Chicken: (I got this from a website a long time ago but can't remember where, so sorry I can't give proper credit)

1 small bag frozen corn
1 can black beans
2 lg boneless, skinless ckicken breast
1-16 oz jar of medium heat salsa

TOPPINGS:
shredded cheese
tortillas or chips
sour cream
cilantro
avacado

Pour bag of frozen corn in bottom of crockpot. Place chicken breasts on top of corn and cover with rinsed and drained black beans, salsa, and cilantro. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve with toppings and chips or tortillas.
*can also place all ingredients in freezer zip l8ck bag and cook on a later date.

Garlic & Pineapple Chicken:

1 lb chicken breast
1/4 tsp onion powder & garlic powder *I like a lot so I do 1 tsp.
8 oz pineapple chunk in juice (save 1/4 cup)
1 Tbsp. Brown sugar
5 oz sweet & sour sauce
16 oz frozen mixed veggies (broccoli,  peas, peppers,  whatever you like. We do Mediterranean blend)

In a bowl add wet ingredients, powders, and sugar, mix well. Place in greased crockpot over chicken. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, add chopped veggies last 30 minutes, cook on high. Serve over rice.

Chicken Cassiatoré: *we just had this last week and loved it!

1-10oz can tomato soup
1 28oz can chopped/diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 tsp minced garlic (we like 1 tsp)
1 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 c chopped green pepper
1/2 c chopped mushrooms (we uses 1 can)
1/2 c onion, chopped
1 lb chicken breast
Pasta or rice *we did spaghetti noodles

Mix sauces, add to crock pot. Add rest of ingredients, except rice or noodles. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.  Serve with rice or pasta al dente.

Ham & Cheesy Potatoes:

1 bag frozen diced potatoes with onions and peppers (thawed)
8 oz shredded cheddar & monterey jack cheese blend
1 can cream of celery soup
8 oz sour cream
3 lb fully cooked smoked ham *or 3 cups cubed ham

Spray cooker. Add ingredients to crockpot. Cut ham lenth wise in half and place in potatoe mixture. Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours or until potatoes are done. Remove ham and slice for serving.

Steak and noodles (from Families on the go)

2lbs stew meat
2 cans french onion soup (undiluted)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (undiluted)
1 pkg wide egg noodles
*I like to add chopped zucchini
* I also like to add 1 can worth of water

Combine all ingredients into slow cooker except noodles. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over noodles.

Freezer Meals Part II

Okay! Life has finally settled down just a bit for us! We had a scare with our little one. She had been complaining for a few weeks about headaches, and her doctor rushed an MRI for her. Talk about the scariest, longest, day of my life! But luckily, it turned out great! And I am ready to get back to normal...whatever that is?

I mentioned previously I wanted to post to you about some of my favorite things to help out with dinners that I keep stocked up in the freezer. We all want those extra minutes with our kids, our hubby, our house (it needs love too!), or maybe for ourselves. Help a girl out, and make life simple, right!?

I know some of these may seem super tedious, but I promise, it really DOES make a difference!

1. Chopped Vegetables I don't know about your house, but we always seem to need onions and peppers for our various recipes. One thing that has made life a little simpler is to have veggies already chopped up in the freezer. As you're cooking dinner, you're sitting there chopping the onion-bawling your eyes out, while the kid is screaming in the background, and whatever you're cooking is nearly burnt. (That's real life at our house!) I did some research about some foods, how to store them, or use them to help keep them longer, or simply just to be more flexible in cooking. Chop some onions, peppers, zucchini, whatever it is that you find yourself using frequently-except potatoes...we'll go there soon, place them on a tray/plate and flash freeze them for 1 hour so they don't stick together, then throw them in freezer ziplock bags. When you need them for you next dinner, you already have them done, chopped and ready to go! (And honestly, it's so that those dang onions only make me cry every once in a while!) 

*My favorites to store are onions, peppers, zucchini, carrots, jalapenos, and tomatoes. For information on how to store tomatoes in the freezer check out this link! 

2. Meat already cooked
This may sound dumb to you, but I can't even tell you how much longer it takes to cook hamburger/chicken/ham/whatever raw, than it does already cooked and frozen again. And with our crazy life, every minute I save is precious!

We don't use hamburger very often, but it's so nice to have it ready when you need it. I buy hamburger on manager special at Smith's (saving every cent I can), bring it home, and cook it ALL in the crock pot (usually I do it at night so in the morning I just drain, sort, and throw in the baggies). I like to divide it in half, (take out the plain first), then add taco seasoning the the second half, and label my baggies plain/taco. We also like to do this with chicken.  Canned chicken is really expensive, and personally, I HATE shredding chicken. So again, I cook 6-7 chicken breasts in the crock pot with some water and broth for some extra flavor, when it's done, I chop into cubes, or shred, divide into baggies...you get the hint! It's awesome!

3. Bread sticks
These are honestly my FAVORITE bread sticks for many reasons, they're easy to make, they require no yeast (we're not friends... I can never get it to work!), and they are really filling! We've even used this recipe before as a pizza crust and it works AWESOME! My husband, a big eater, was full in just 2 slices (I am pretty sure that has NEVER happened before!) I follow this recipe-times 3 or 4. And always have to add a little more milk than what the recipe calls for, or flour if I accidentally dump the milk in! (Oops!) I make the recipe, cut the bread sticks into slices, flash freeze for an hour, place them into a freezer ziplock bag. And when I am ready to cook them, I melt the butter in the bottom of the pan-like directed, throw the frozen bread sticks on top, and add a few minutes to cooking time! It's like bread sticks in less than 20 minutes! *These make great bread sticks for dipping-like with spaghetti.

Click here for the recipe from Hill Billy House Wife 

4. Muffins, Muffins, Muffins, and more Muffins! Muffins are my favorite thing to have on hand because they help make a meal a little more filling, I can hide vegetables in them (I get pretty creative sometimes haha), and my daughter will devour them, which is pretty awesome because she hardily eats ANYTHING! I also love these because they freeze so well, they keep for probably about 3 months, and they're great for my hubby to just grab and go for breakfast in the morning. (I don't think we've ever made it to the 3 month mark, and that's with doubling/tripling EVERY recipe!)

*If you want to save time, make these into bread. I personally like the muffins, even though they take longer to make when doing in bulk because they're already divided into serving sizes and I can thaw out a small portion rather than the whole loaf.

Our favorites are:

•  Banana Oatmeal Muffins
• Spaghetti Squash Muffins (MODIFICATIONS: I add 1/2 cup of craisins to these too, which my family loves. I blend my squash in a blender with the eggs, vanilla, and 1- 1 1/2 c. of apple sauce (because my blender is horrible and needs a lot of "wet" ingredients to be able to blend. I also use nutmeg in the place of ginger. And do half whole wheat flour. Because I add applesauce, I minus a 1/2 cup of sugar to the recipe.)
•  Chocolate Spinach Muffins *I loved these, hubby did not, but I am pretty sure I forgot to add an egg, so they were pretty dry, and it helps if you have a good blender-NOT the blender I have lol!
• Zucchini/Pumpkin/Sweet Potato Muffins