February Flashback

February has not been kind to us and I am so ready for it to just be over. There were a lot of gray skies and freezing temps. The flu and strep even made a not so welcome visit.

Here is my weekly recap of the month!

Week #1 (Jan 28- Feb 3): This week was fairly busy because my oldest started going to martial arts class.

Week #2 ( Feb 4-10): This week was my birthday week (Feb 8th was my birthday). My oldest has her marital arts class, she had a class trip this week as well. and we celebrated my birthday with a cake and pizza on that Saturday. Then Sunday came and greeted us with a stomach bug for my two girls.

Week #3 (Feb 11- Feb 17): This week was fairly quite. We kept my oldest home from school because of the stomach bug she had and she went back that Wednesday. She had her Valentines day party at school that Thursday. Then when the weekend hit we welcomed an unwanted visitor. THE FLU.

Week #4 (Feb 18-24): This week we all tested positive for the flu and then by Friday my oldest and I tested positive for strep throat. This week was full of sleep and resting, watching movies, eating crackers and chicken noodle soup. By the end of the week we were all feeling better. My daughter's school even closed because most of the kids and teachers had the flu.

Week #5 (Feb 25- March 3): This week has started out fairly calm, well except for the Winter weather watch we were under a few days ago. I am using this week to deep clean my house and to start organizing it a little bit more.

I am so ready for February to end for March to begin. It means no more freezing temps and plenty of blue skies and sunshine!

How was your February? Are you ready for Spring to make an appearance?

Friday Favorites {2/15/2019}

Welcome to the second week in February! Between celebrating my birthday and planning all things Valentine's day, I may be slighlty particial to the month of February... but what can I say? It's such a fun month all around  and I love that we get another excuse to spread the love. But before I get ahead of myself  I want to share with you some of my favorite things from this week.

Here we go....

Favorite treat:  These awesome Nutella cupcakes

Favorite read:  This Stephen King novel is one my of favorites.

Favorite movie :  Hands down Dirty Dancing! I watch this movie often and it drive the Husband crazy!

Favorite movie quote: From the Notebook, of course....

What some of your Friday Favorites?

Having bad days is ok. Having days where you want to do nothing is ok too! But just in case you don’t ever want to have those days I am sharing 10 ways to cheer yourself up! I personally would rather try to cheer myself up than be sad.

10 Ways To Cheer Yourself Up

• Play with animals: I am not a huge animal person, but how can you be sad when playing with puppies or kittens? It’s just not possible.
• Go workout: I mean Elle Woods said it best, endorphins make you happy. But truthfully when I have been in a funky mood and gone to work out I am always so happy after. Workouts really can cheer you up. I love listening to a new playlist or a new podcast episode during a good workout too!
• Spend time with family: When I am sad my biggest mood booster is playing with the girls and Hubby! Going to the park or taking the girls outside and hearing their sweet laughs! THE BEST SOUND EVER!
• Color: I love a good adult coloring book or even kids ones!
• Watch something funny:  Find some funny videos in Youtube or you know search funny cat videos. Whatever floats your boat!
• Meet a friend for a walk: I love going for walks with girlfriends. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and go walk and talk with a friend. I promise you will feel better!
• Make a list of everything good: Everything good in your life. Maybe you can reevaluate why you are in a sad mood when you see everything good in your life!
• Declutter: Sometimes just crap everywhere can put you in a funky mood. Try to declutter a few spaces and see if that helps!
• Volunteer: Because when you are helping others you can’t possibly be sad!
• Paint your nails: Because chipped nails will put anyone in a bad mood!

Why I Haven't Blogged In A While

Why I Haven't Blogged In A While

You may or may not have noticed that it's been a few days since I last blogged. Let me tell you why. First, my birthday was this past Friday (February 8th) and it was not a good day. My husband decided to pick fight with me which left me in tears and not in a very good mood for the rest of the day. Although he did try to apologize but I did not want to listen at the time. We eventually made up later.

Second, my two kids came down with some sort of stomach bug late Saturday night. When they are sick I don't sleep and I don't eat. All I do is take care of them. The stomach bug hit my oldest the hardest. She was out of school Monday and Tuesday and finally went back this morning. My youngest was fine by Sunday afternoon.

And last, I just haven't been able to come up with good content. I'm doing some research on a few posts and I hope to have them written and posted soon. I am also working on my editorial calendar and I hope to have that finished by the end of the week. I hope to have great and interesting content for you in the coming weeks. In the meantime, what are some topics you like for me to blog about? If you have any suggestions please leave in the comments below.

If you have made is this far, thank you for reading! Have a great day!!

In the Kitchen- Cupid Chow

Hello Friends! Welcome to another installment of In the Kitchen! Today's post is all about Valentines Day treats! I found this recipe while searching for Valentine's Day activities for my daughter's 3rd grade class. I came across this and thought it would an adorable treat for her class party. 

Cupid Chow

Ingredients

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
9 cups Chex cereal
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup M&Ms
sprinkles of your choice

Instructions

Combine peanut butter, butter, and chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl.

Microwave for 1 minute, then stir until melted and creamy. Add vanilla and stir. In a large bowl with a cover, pour chocolate mixture over cereal. 

Cover and shake until cereal is evenly coated. Sprinkle powdered sugar over cereal. Cover and shake until evenly coated. Add M&Ms and sprinkles of your choice.

In the Kitchen- Doritos Taco Salad

Hi Lovelies!

It's time for another installment of In The Kitchen !! Today's recipe that I wanted to share is one that I found while browsing the interwebs. I have had a craving for taco salad and Doritos and I thought "well why not combine the two". So, I googled Doritos and taco salad and found this recipe. And, it was delish!! 

So here is the recipe that I used. Enjoy!!

Doritos Taco Salad

Yield: 14 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 lb 95% lean ground beef
• 1 (1.25 oz) packet reduced sodium taco seasoning
• 1 medium-large head of iceberg lettuce, chopped into bite sized pieces
  
• 1 medium-large tomato, diced
• 4 oz 50% less fat or 2% sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 oz nacho cheese Doritos, broken up a bit into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup light Catalina or French dressing (I used Kraft Lite Catalina)

Directions:

1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it up into pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the packet of taco seasoning and stir until well coated. Set aside.
2. In a large serving bowl, combine the lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and ground beef. When ready to serve, add the Doritos and dressing and toss to coat.

Have a great day!!!! 

Happy Homemaker Monday {2/4/2019}

Hi Lovelies!

Good afternoon everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. We had a somewhat relaxing weekend. We went outside as much as possible since the weather has been nice and warm lately.

Anyway, let's get started with this post, shall we?

The weather. We will be in the 70s for the first part of the week and then it's backs to the 40s and 50s for the rest of the week. 

Right now I am... sitting at the dining room table typing this post. 

On my reading pile. Right now I am reading Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult (almost finished) and then it's on to Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks for February.

On my tv.  Beverly Hills 90210, Baywatch, Boy Meets World, Sons of Anarchy, A Million Little Things and the Masked Singer

On the menu this week:

Monday- Spaghetti and green beans

Tuesday- Creamy Ranch Chicken with potatoes and carrots

Wednesday- Beans and cornbread

Thursday- Spaghetti and garlic bread

Friday- 

Saturday-

Sunday- Pizza and breadsticks

On my to do list:

Laundry
Kitchen
Write and schedule blogs for the next two weeks (by end of the this week)
Update planners and bullet journal
Tidy bedrooms
Clean bathrooms
Vacuum all rooms

Looking around the house: The house is a mess. Every room needs to be tidied and the clothes are piling up in the laundry basket.

Bible verse, devotional, or quote:

Superbowl LIII Eats

GO LA RAMS!!!!!!!!!

Superbowl LIII starts in just a few hours, so I thought I would share a few recipes that I plan on making with you. Enjoy!!

Hawaiian Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 20 small Hawaiian sweet rolls, cut in half crosswise
• 1 pound deli black forest ham, sliced
• 20 slices provolone cheese
• 8-oz. container spreadable cream cheese
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons dried minced onions
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with the bottom halves of the sweet rolls. Top with the ham, then the provolone cheese slices. Spread the cream cheese onto the bottoms of the sweet roll tops and place them in a layer on top of the cheese.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the butter, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onions and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and pour evenly over tops of the sandwiches. Sprinkle the poppy seeds over the top.
3. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until warmed through. Cut at the seams with a knife and serve warm!

Loaded tater tot skewers

Ingredients

• Bag of Tater Tots
• 8 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
• 1 cup of cheese, grated
• 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning
• skewers

Directions

1. Cook your tater tots according to directions until golden brown in color. Ours was in a 425 degree oven for 20-30 minutes.
2. Once you pull them out of the oven, let cool for approximately 2-5 minutes until you can skewer them onto the skewers. I suggest 6-7 per skewer.
3. Once on the skewers and on the pan, sprinkle ranch dressing over each of tater tots.
4. Then sprinkle the bacon and then the cheese.
5. Into the oven for an additional 10 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and golden in color.
6. Remove from oven and serve.

Los Angeles Rams Popcorn

 Ingredients:

• 10 Cups of Popped Popcorn
• 3 tbsp. Butter (Sweet Cream, Salted)
• 3 cups Mini Marshmallows
• Regular M&M’s – Yellow and Navy
• Pretzel M&M’s – Yellow
• M&M Minis – Yellow

Directions:

1. Pop 10 cups of popcorn and salt liberally and place in a large bowl.
2.  Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium sauce pan.  Once the butter is melted, add 3 cups of mini marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows are melted.  Turn off the heat as soon as the last marshmallow has melted.
3.  Pour 3/4 of the marshmallow mixture over the popcorn in the bowl and then gently fold the popcorn with a spoon until most of the kernels are covered in mixture.
4. Pour the marshmallow popcorn onto a prepared cookie sheet.
5. Drizzle the remaining marshmallow mixture over the popcorn on the cookie sheet.
6. Sprinkle the candy and sprinkles over the popcorn.
7. Allow the popcorn to cool. Break apart into pieces and serve.