St. Patrick's Day Shenanigans

Sometimes I decorate my house and front door for St. Patrick's Day and sometimes (okay, a lot of times) we wear green, but always on special days I decorate the table and make my boys a fun breakfast! I love surprising them when they wake up in the morning! (Although, after 12 years of breakfasts, it's hardly a surprise anymore! lol)

This year I used the 'Top O' the Morning' printables from My Sister's Suitcase. I actually wasn't sure what I was going to use this year, but then I got mailed my local neighborhood magazine and inside came ALL the 'Top O' the Morning' printables, in color, ready to be cut out and used! How could I refuse? So, I didn't! lol

Here are some photos from our morning:

                  

I also made them personalized fortune cookies. I took out the original fortune and put in my own message. {Tutorial here}

I'm pretty sure they liked it, because my little one made this on his plate with his chocolate gold coins:

And then we ate!

After breakfast my kids said they were happy and FULL. Two things important in their little lives right now! I think of their needs often - and when I am behind in my blog posts, Facebook updates or unable to comment on my favorite blogs, I feel bad, but I never regret it. I never regret spending my time and energy on my boys. They deserve the first of my time, not the leftovers of my time and it is so encouraging to read some of your posts knowing you feel the same. You get it. And I know you get me too. :)

I feel so lucky blessed to be their mom and to have you here reading our ramblings.

I leave you with one of my favorite parts of our breakfast...

Yes, this is a green clover pancake! {Quick tutorial here} Did you get creative with food this St. Patrick's Day? Decorate with green? Cause some shenanegans? Where do you feel blessed in your life right now?


"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose." ~Romans 8:28

St. Patrick's Day ~ Clover Pancake

I've seen lots of clover pancake versions around the web recently, but none, *I think* have been made this way before.

I was going through my cupboards gettin all my St. Patrick's Day 'stuff' out of the pantry when I came across my flexible heart ice cube mold:

Originally, this tray made fun heart shaped ice cubes:

But as I looked at it, I thought it also had the potential to make a really cool clover pancake. So, operation pancake experiment began. I filled the ice tray with pancake mix:

I let them set overnight in the freezer and then popped them out for breakfast in the morning. I placed the frozen hearts (in the preheated pan) in the shape of a clover:

Frozen batter makes pancakes just as well as fresh batter, it just takes a minute or two more on each side. (Depending on your oven.) The nice thing about the batter being frozen is that I didn't have to worry about the shape changing as I poured and I could be very specific in placement. As the batter heats and cooks, the hearts molded into an adorably festive clover! My kids and I were very happy with the result!

 



 

 

 

I now want to mold pancakes into every imagineable shape! And since there are all kinds of ice shaped molds - the possibilities are endless! Have you tried this technique before? What shapes do you think would make fun pancakes?

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

{What I Love} by Love Our Disney

I'm so thrilled to introduce you to our last 'What I Love' guest! Becca and I bonded immediately over our love of one thing: DISNEYLAND!! If you have ever been to Disneyland or have ever wanted to go, Becca's blog is the place to be!!! (Other than Disneyland of course.) :)

 

SO, let's meet Becca!!

 

 

 

Becca was born, raised, and resides in Boise, Idaho. She is a wife, mother, photographer, full time student, and the owner and creator of Love Our Disney. She blogs about all things Disney. From craft tutorials to save money tips- if it has to do with Disney, she does it. She enjoys travel, crafting, camping, and of course- Disney!
Name your favorite...

-Restaurant: Oh goodness, I would have to say PF Changs right now

-Vacation Spot:Disneyland of course!

-Favorite thing about where you live: There is so much beautiful nature so close by.

-Book: I just started reading The Fever Series and I love it!

-Love song: “Love Like Crazy” by Lee Brice

-Movie: I am a Disney nerd- current favorite is a tie between Tangled and Brave

-Food:Honestly- I don't have one!

-Color: Eggplant Purple

-Color/pattern to craft with: Disney colors and patterns

-favorite medium to craft with: Fabric

-accessory: I hardly ever wear accessories! I am a minimalist. I don’t even have pierced ears. I don't carry a  purse either!

-clothing item: My yoga pants. I could live in them 24/7

-Valentine’s Day treat: A good box of chocolates!

-Valentine’s Day movie:I don’t watch a lot of lovey-dovey movies. But I love Sweet Home Alabama and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days- Does that count?

3. What is the best date you’ve ever been on? I married young- so most of my dates were with my husband, and they mostly consist of movies or football games, but one time he surprised me with a trip out of town for the weekend to the Oregon Coast.

4. Who is your current Blog Crush? Oh, I have so many. If I have to choose I would say “Create. Craft. Love.”

5. What is the all-time favorite post you’ve written and why? Probably my favorite post I have done would have to be my Disney Autograph Book Tutorial. I just love creating personal items for park visits that are of great quality. My Disney onthe Cheap posts are a very close second.

6. What is your favorite Valentine’s Day post? Well, since this is my first Valentine’s Day with my blog and I just shared 1 printable, I would have to say I love One Artsy Mama’s Valentines Blocks post. It is so funny and the project turned out SO ADORABLE!

7. What are you looking forward to in 2013? I am looking forward to my Blogiversary, getting to know other wonderful bloggers, lots of Disney fun, and so much more!

See what I mean? Isn't she awesome? And let me tell you, she has posts about Disneyland rides, navigating the park with kids and Disney on the cheap!! Love it! Be sure to check her out at the links below! Thanks for joining in on the 'What I Love' series everyone!!!

Love Our Disney can be found on facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest as well as at www.loveourdisney.com

{What I Love} by Kate from Life As I Know It

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I thought it fitting to share this lovely blogger today because this week is her birthday!! (Yesterday to be exact!) So let's all welcome Kate from Life as I know it!

I’m Kate. I’m a wife and mommy of three. I love Jesus, my family, crafts, DIY projects, reading, coffee and anything Harry Potter.

 

 KATE'S FAVORITE...

 

- Restaurant is Chevy’s (sad that they are becoming hard to find!)

- Book is actually the entire Harry Potter series. Love those books!

- Song is (Can’t help) Falling in Love- Elvis

- Food is Mexican/ Enchiladas

- Color is Red

- Color to craft with is I love reds, pinks and purples. They turn up in a lot of my projects lately

- Medium to craft with: paper/scrapbooking!

- Accessory is (these days it’s) my water bottle

- Clothing item is Flip flops

- Valentine’s Day treat is Chocolate covered strawberries.

- Valentine’s day movie is Sleepless in Seattle

Best Date I’ve ever been on- My first date with my husband. We only went to dinner but I knew it was the first of many and that I wanted to be with him forever.

My current blog crush- Ashley over at Better Together. Love her and her cute little family. I try not to comment too often because I don't want her to think I'm a crazy stalker!

Favorite post I’ve written and why- This post about the DIY Pom poms is one of my favorites. Mainly because they took me quite a while to make since I was just doing them here and there and I was so happy with the final result! I love how they look up in my little guys bedroom!

Favorite Valentine’s Day post- Valentine’s Day Felt HeartDIY

 

 

 

Looking forward to in 2013- Playing with my munchkins in the grass on a hot Summer day and taking a family trip to the ocean and zoo.

 

Oh my goodness! I could have written half those favorites myself! Harry Potter? YES PLEASE!! Red (favorite color) and Mexican food! I think Kate and I would get along just fine eating some taquitois and having a Harry Potter marathon!! lol

 

To learn even more about Kate (and wish her a happy birthday!) ;-) follow along here:

Life as I know it (blog)
Facebook

Pinterest

For more "What I Love" guest posts, click here!

Kate
Life as I know it

{What I Love} by Sharon from Shay Designs

I'm so excited to introduce Sharon to you today! I first met Sharon when she shared her beautiful jewelry with me. She owns Shay Designs Jewelry and coincidentally had a "Shaped by Grace" necklace that was, well, meant to be - for me! {I LOVE it and wear it all the time!}

So, without further ado, here is the lovely Sharon:

 I am a mom of three wonderful kids and blessed with a wonderful and supporting husband. I love spending time with my family in any way possible, but mostly we love to be on the water doing water sports. Being creative is a way of expression and relaxation for me. My greatest joy is seeing my creation of my stamped jewelry bring a smile to others... truly. Whenever possible I also love to use my passion for creativity to help fundraise for causes of others in need. I love all things Shabby Chic, pastels, and girly. My faith is my stronghold and force that drives me to live a purposeful life, the way I was created, to passionately create all things Cute!!

 

What is your favorite...

-Restaurant - Georges Greek Cafe

-Vacation Spot - Bass Lake in California

-Favorite thing about where you live - The weather!

-Book - Redeeming Love

-Love song - Through the Years by Kenny Rogers (it is the song for me and my hubby since we have been together since high school.

-Movie - Grease

-Food - Chocolate

-Color - Pink

-Color/pattern to craft with - pink & aqua

-favorite medium to craft with - metals

-accessory - stamped necklaces

-clothing item - comfy jeans

-Valentine’s Day treat - Chocolate, of course, but would also love a bouquet of light pink Peonies if they were in season.

-Valentine’s Day movie - Hmmmm, can't think of one in particular. Love the Notebook though!

3. What is the best date you’ve ever been on? - Dinner at the beach

4. Who is your current Blog Crush? No crushes yet :)

 

5. What is the all-time favorite post you’ve written and why? I am new to blogging and haven't written many posts yet, but my favorite would have to be the one I wrote on my friend and her connection with Project Hopeful... advocating for AIDS awareness.

 

 

6.  What are you looking forward to in 2013? Learning and growing in my business... Seeing what God has in store for me and my family in our walk with Him. 

 

 

 

Sharon

    Shay Designs Jewelry & Accessories

          shaydesigns.com

 

See - Isn't she sweet? Being a California girl as well, I agree with her that the weather is one of my favorite things about where we live too! I hope you check out her jewelry shop! She has tons of beautiful hand stamped jewelry available!! This necklace is one of my favorites. ;-)

Thanks again Sharon for sharing more about yourself and your shop!

For more "What I Love" guest posts, click here.

{What I Love} by Jourdan at Two Million Miles

What I Love ~ Today I am sharing the super creative Jourdan from Two Million Miles. This girl is TAL-EN-TED! I will let her tell you all about herself - and then be sure to check out all her fabulous sites and say hello!!

Meet Jourdan:

I am a mom, entrepreneur, DIY/crafter, and a blogger! I have three of my own businesses. 1 - Jourdan's Jewels 2 - Jourdan's {Handmade} Jewels 3 - Perfectly Posh with Jourdan. My blog is a lifestyle blog where I post about anything I can think of.. Recipes, crafts, stories of my family, business, etc.

WHAT JOURDAN LOVES:

What's your favorite...

-Restaurant I love Chuck-a-Rama, but if you don't count that as a restaurant, I would say Chili's!
-Vacation Spot Anywhere warm and beachy!
-Favorite thing about where you live I love that my family is so close.
-Book That's a hard one! I love anything that Ellen Hopkins and Brenda Novak writes!
-Love song My current favorite love song is "Til My Last Day" by Justin Moore.
-Movie Definitely Where the Heart Is!
-Food Salad and rolls
-Color Yellow
-Color/pattern to craft with I'm loving Chevron right now!
-favorite medium to craft with Any kind of mod podge!
-accessory Earrings
-clothing item Blinged out pants!
-Valentine’s Day treat Chocolate Covered Strawberries - white chocolate, of course!
-Valentine’s Day movie I love Sweet Home Alabama, too. Does that count?! (Yes! It does in my book, Jordan!) ;-)



3. What is the best date you’ve ever been on?
We went to the Daughtry concert a few years ago for Valentine's. It was so much fun!

4. Who is your current Blog Crush?
I love Jen over at COM!

5. What is the all-time favorite post you’ve written and why?
That's a tough one! One of my favorites was Pinto {Part 4} about my dog's death. It was one of the worst days ever and I hate reliving it, but it's a very raw and honest post. I loved that dog more than anything!

6. What is your favorite Valentine’s Day post.
The only Valentine's post I've written was a list of 14 Valentine's Gifts for Your Man

7. What are you looking forward to in 2013?
In 2013, I am SO looking forward to finish building our house and moving in, then of course, all of the decorating!!!!


*Jourdan

Shop Jourdan's Jewels

Facebook: Jourdan's Jewels

Shop Jourdan's {Handmade} Jewels

Facebook: Jourdan's {Handmade} Jewels

Shop Perfectly Posh

Facebook: Perfectly Posh with Jourdan

Blog

See what I mean? This girl's got talent! I personally enjoyed reading her January Recap and Bucket List!! Do you have a bucket list? I do - and Jourdan's post totally made me want to write it down and make it happen! Well, it was so fun learning about Jordan and finding out what she loves -- now go on and show HER some love at the links above! xo

Thanks friends! Read more "what I love" posts here! xoxo

DIY Washer Pendants

I love jewelry! Since I only have boys, I find that I don't craft and blog a ton about it. But, since I also love Valentine's Day -- I thought it would be fun to do a girly jewelry craft using some washers I had!

So, I made some Valentine's Day - and any day - washer pendants! This would make a great craft for kids too!

Here is what you'll need:

 

 

Yep -- that's right!! You'll need nail polish! I used a variety of colors (a light blue as well - not shown.)

 



 I also used:
-fishing line (or clear elastic line - to tie the washers together)
-random chains and cords I had to hang the pendants.


First I "painted" my washers in a variety of patterns just for fun! Painting with nail polish is a lot like real paint:

- higher quality polish means less coats!
- I used white as a base and primer in some cases. lol

THE PLUS SIDE:
Nail polish dries soooo much faster than paint AND comes with it's own brush! (And lots of fun inexpensive colors!)

Here are some of the fun patterns I played with:

Once everything was completely dry, I used fishing line to tie the red washers and hearts together in a row and the red string as the chain!

For individual pendants, I just tied a chain or cord to the top.
All of these pendents were created free hand. I learned that I am not so good at making chevron patterns.... (although I do love how the yellow pops and that chain!)

And that I should probably stick to painting straight lines. ;o) I LOVE the beachy look of this light blue pendant (only two thin coats!) with this brown cord I stole from another necklace:

I'll be sporting this girl all summer long!!

As for next week, you will see me in hearts!

Have you painted with nail polish before? What about crafting with washers? You should really give it a try! It was a lot of fun!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sharing the love at tatertots and jello this week!