Motorcycle Diaper Cake & Recipe

Hey everyone!

I hope you had a wonderful and blessed Easter holiday!

I volunteered to make a homemade carrot cake with homemade cream cheese icing and a batch of deviled eggs! I even purchased a couple packages of miniature cupcakes for the kids!

Here is the recipe I used:

Carrot Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2-3 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups Wesson Oil
3-4 cups grated carrots
4 eggs
1 cup pecans or walnuts

Sift flour and dry ingredients (except sugar).
Shred carrots.
Grease and flour pan.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
After sifting, mix everything in one bowl on medium 2-3 minutes.
Bake 1 hour.

Cream Cheese Icing
1 pkg. cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 pkg. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Cream together.

I wanted to share a couple of photos with you all. There were three ladies having babies within weeks of each other at work. One of my co-workers was a first-time mom and I wanted to make her a special gift that she could enjoy but that was practical, too. So I found a tutorial on YouTube for an adorable motorcycle diaper cake and watched it SEVERAL times before I finally got the courage up to try it. Guess what? It was so easy! Thom does an excellent job showing each step of the process and I made it right along with her. Go check out her channel. She makes adorable diaper cakes!!

So here is a look at the one I created:

Thanks for hanging out with me today! I hope you have a fabulous and productive week. Today is my day off so I am going to try to get everything done today since I will be working tomorrow through Saturday! Be sure to check back on Friday for another post!

Hugs,

Meal Planning

Hey, everyone!

When I first got married almost 14 years ago, cooking was something I really enjoyed doing but I did not have much experience. I collected recipes since my Home Economic days when we learned to cook at school. Growing up I was given recipes for delicious meals and desserts by many different family members and friends. For my bridal shower, everyone had been given a recipe card and asked to share a favorite recipe with me. I cherish those recipes, especially the ones from my loved ones who have passed. I have an entire drawer of cookbooks and a full recipe box. I have pinned oodles and gobs of recipes on my Pinterest account and I love trying new recipes. As much as I love to cook and try new things, I found myself fixing the same dishes week after week. I was in a rut!

Many of my girl friends had similar complaints. My mother who had cooked since she was a young girl often agreed, "I don't know what to cook!" My sister gave me some ideas of things she would make and my mom gave me a few ideas. Even my dear friend Amber Willingham shared some of her family's favorite meal ideas with me. It really helped to compare/swap recipes with family and friends. But before long I would find myself back into another rut!

I am a list maker and I really love to make lists. It is fun to do and I enjoy the process. So I created some charts and lists for meal planning and it really helped a lot. I have had a system in place for several years now that allows me to be a little more creative when it comes to meal planning. Those I share the idea with are always glad to hear it and so I thought I would just film a video to show you my meal planning strategy. I don't do this every single week but it really is nice to fall back on when I want to change things up a bit!

Thank you for watching! I hope you enjoyed the video. Feel free to share your meal planning ideas with me in the comments below! Have a great one!

Hugs,

Sand Pudding and Picnic on Friday Finale

Hey everyone!!
As hard as it is to believe, it's already Friday!! And not just any Friday, but a Friday Finale! Woot! Woot!

Today was my daughter's grand finale for fifth grade! Boo Hoo! She had a wonderful fifth grade picnic with games, prizes, an obstacle course and many photo opportunities! I will share a few photos from the picnic at the end of this post.

I was in need of a quick dessert for sixty kids plus hungry parents and staff. Yikes! So, of course my sweet Cyber BFF Christina Wernstrum had just the solution...sand pudding! Oh my yum! Definitely a winner!! I found THIS RECIPE and it came out perfectly!

Look! No leftovers...and best of all I got a LOT of comments and delightful moans as the cups of sand pudding disappeared! Yay!! Score!

 

So, here's a couple of highlights from today:

Yep! That is a water balloon with a little boy just looking for a place to toss it!

I got this cute idea for an end of school year gift from HERE.

Prize patrol! Each child got a prize!

Doing the "army crawl" part of the course.

Javan managed to get ahold of one of the "big guns" to soak everyone as they went through the "car wash." Christie did an amazing job on this obstacle course.

Here is the cute t-shirt Christie and I designed for the kids. Isn't it fun? I love it!

Kadesia had her friends autograph her tshirt. What a great keepsake this will be.

And before you go, be sure to check out what is going on over at Christina's blog!! You don't want to miss this!! She is so creative!!

Hugs,

Crack Potatoes, oh my yum!

Hey everyone!!

It's a little late in the day. But I couldn't miss an opportunity to share another family favorite recipe for

Every single time I make a huge pan of this I have NOTHING but an empty pan to take back home. It goes quick. It's so easy to throw together and the taste is really great! It is called Crack Potatoes or Loaded Potato Casserole.

Want a closer look? Yum!

If you have to bring a covered dish to any dinner party you should consider bring this. Huge hit with everyone who has eaten it. Here is a link to the recipe. 

What is your favorite side dish? Do you have a faithful recipe that just works every time? I love those! Feel free to send me any recipes you have tried and liked! I love trying new recipes. Thanks for hanging out with me today.

Hugs,

Mmm! Monday

Hey everyone!

It's Monday and not just any Monday but:


Today I am going to share with you a wonderfully easy, yummy dessert! You will not have leftovers if you make this and take it anywhere!!! If you like strawberries like I do, then this will be your new favorite dessert and it's so pretty!!

 See all the yummy layers of goodness down the side? I love trifle bowls for this reason. You get to taste it with your eyes first and my eyes think this is really delcious! Makes my mouth water.

This is not a new recipe for me. I did not make this today but I definitely wanted to share it for Mmm! Monday because Mmm! is what it is!!! I got the recipe from this blog here. ETA: Unable to locate the link but will keep trying and will edit this post when I find it. :) It was so easy to make and hardly took any time to prepare. The hard part was waiting for it to chill so I could dig in!

I even had made my mother-in-law her own little trifle! She loved every bite! What kind of trifles do you like to make? I promise to share my Turtle Brownie Toffee Trifle this month! You will love it if you love chocolate and toffee and turtle brownies...oh my!

Thanks for stopping by. I love having you visit. Come back soon!

UPDATE: I have SCOURED the Internet to no avail. I cannot find the original post. Maybe someday I will, or maybe one of you can solve the mystery and help me find the creator of this delicious dessert. I will go ahead and post the recipe here. I wish I had the opportunity to ask permission or link to the original blog but until that happens...here is the recipe.

YUMMY STRAWBERRY SHORT CAKE

WHITE portion
1 8 oz. pack light cream cheese
1 8 oz. bowl light cool whip
½ cup of sugar or substitute

RED Portion
1 package fresh strawberries sliced thin (slice 6 in half for top garnish)
1 package strawberry glaze (light if available)
2 packages sugar free strawberry Jell-O prepared by directions on box

CAKE Portion
1 Angel Food Cake torn in bite size pieces

Whip the cream cheese, cool whip and sugar until smooth and set aside.
Keep an eye on the strawberry Jell-O and remove from fridge in semi-gelled condition, then fold in glaze and thin slices of berries.

In bowl begin with ½ of the cake pieces on the bottom layer topped with ½ of the RED Portion topped with ½ of the WHITE Portion spread evenly then begin the layers again. Top with the berries sliced in half for garnishment, chill and serve.

Hugs,

Snow Much Fun!

Hey, everyone!

I woke up yesterday morning to this:

That caused a two hour delay for schools but it's our first snowfall of the season! I am actually excited about the snow and maybe even more so since it's gone now. Thankfully it didn't alter any of my plans! The cookie exchange brunch I had planned didn't have to be canceled so I am glad of that! Here's a look at what we had at the brunch:

This is Breakfast Casserole and oh so good! I have made it many, many times and it is definitely a keeper! It is so yummy!

Gotta eat our fruit! LOL

This is the recipe I used for the Peanut Butter Bars. Here's a look at how they turned out:


The cookies on the right are store bought. It was funny to see Javan and Riley licking all the sprinkles off their leaf cookies. LOL Monyca made these yummy cookies!

Oh yeah, I snagged some! LOL

The evening was complete once we watched my sweet baby girl perform in her Christmas program. Here she is in her new dress ready to go.
Not so much a baby anymore but she will always be my little angel girl!

Thanks for hanging out with me today! I'm working a day shift today! Woohoo! I am excited. Check back tomorrow because I have even more fun stuff to share!

Hugs,

Georgia Peach Cobbler

Hey, everyone!

I made my dad a cute little box with some candy and a card for Father's Day since we all pitched in and got my dad a nice gift for Father's Day. I also made a peach cobbler and was in such a hurry to get down to my mom and dad's that I completely forgot about taking photos to share with you today! Ugh!

So, instead I am sharing the recipe with you! My dad said it tasted like Granny Marsh used to make and to me that is the ultimate compliment! YAY!!! It was very good!

GEORGIA PEACH COBBLER
1 large can of peaches
1 cup sugar
1 cup self-rising flour
1 egg
3 tablespoons of butter
Pour the peaches into the bottom of a baking dish. In a mixing bowl combine the sugar and flour, add the egg and stir with a spoon until crumbly. Spoon this topping over the peaches. Add the butter and bake in a 350* F. oven until the crust is brown.

I hope you will try this! It's delicious!

Hugs,

StampTACular Tuesday Challenge RECIPE HOLDERS

Hey, everyone!

I cannot believe today is the last day of school here. It would have already ended but the kids had to make up the days they missed due to the weather this winter. I'm picking my daughter up at lunch and her summer vacation will start! Tonight is my daughter's first night of her ADVANCED class in gymnastics! She is very excited and I am glad for the change in schedule...different night of the week and at a later time! I am very proud of her! All her hard work is paying off!

Today, Christina and I have made something really fun for the StampTACular Tuesday Challenge. We hope you'll join us! Leave us a comment and a link to show us what you've made. Today's Challenge is RECIPE HOLDERS! Here's mine:

I used 2 pieces of matboard glued together with a glue stick and left to dry. Then I adhered a piece of black cardstock to front and back. The base measures 4½" x 6½" and then I layered on a piece of Winterberry designer paper. The alphabet stickers are from the Kaleidoscope Brites pack and matted with Premium White Cardstock. All these supplies are available through The Angel Company! I then took a piece of Winterberry and added it to my binder clip along with some ribbon from my stash. My daughter swept a layer of Mod Podge along the edges and top so it would be stain resistant and more durable.

This is another way it can hold a recipe...with the clip on the side. I think it will be a lot of fun to use in the kitchen! What do you think of this project? Be sure to go check out Christina's blog for her awesome project!

I thought I'd share the Breakfast Pizza recipe (seen in the picture above). I've never tried it yet but it may be something we can try this summer! It sure sounds like a yummy breakfast item!

BREAKFAST PIZZA

6 SERVINGS

1 (10 oz.) can refrigerated biscuit dough

½ lb. bacon slices

2 tablespoons margarine or butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1½ cups milk

½ cup (2 oz.) shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

¼ cup sliced green onions

¼ cup chopped red bell pepper

Preheat oven to 350* F. Spray 13"x9" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Separate biscuit dough and arrange side by side in rectangle on lightly floured surface without overlapping. Roll into 14"x10" rectangle.

Place in prepared dish; pat edges up sides of dish.

Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, place bacon in single layer in large skillet; cook over medium heat until crisp. Remove from skillet, drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside.

Melt margarine in medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt and black pepper until smooth. Gradually stir in milk; cook and stir until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted.

Spread sauce evenly over baked crust. Sprinkle bacon, green onions and bell pepper over sauce.

Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Hope you enjoy your day! I am excited about starting the summer fun!!! Be sure you come back again tomorrow when Christina and I share our Scripture Challenge scrapbook pages! You will not want to miss it!

Hugs,

Mmm! Sweet Treats!

Hey, everyone!

Tomorrow is National Scrapbooking Day! I am so excited!! I hope to see many of you tomorrow. I have a lot of things planned and several fun projects to show you all. You can come by between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to see my latest creations, make a couple projects and take them home with you, and have the chance to win some prizes! Call or e-mail me for more information or to get directions. Bring a friend!

Last night I wanted to make a scrapbook page to post today but that didn't happen. I had to take Kadesia to gymnastics and then my cousin stopped by for a minute and then my friends came over after that to pick up an order from last Saturday. Love seeing the big brown truck pull up in front of my house with a box from TAC! LOL Kadesia wanted me to make her something special since it was just the two of us at home and I knew exactly what I wanted to make. This is the first time I ever tried to do this and I wanted to share a photo of something that was a lot of fun to make!

These were so yummy! When we got home it was a rainy day and the house kinda felt cool and damp so I didn't mind heating the house up a little to make her these semi-homemade doughnuts. She was so excited she told me I was the coolest mom ever! I hope she is always so easy to please! LOL She poured the cinnamon and sugar on after I got them out of the pan. Mmm! You should definitely try THESE.

I have a lot more to share with you but I will do that tomorrow! I hope you will have a terrific day and if you are in the neighborhood, I'd love for you to drop by and see me!

Hugs,

Where, oh where, have I been?

Hey, everyone!

Wow! I have to be honest with you all, it has been a crazy-busy December for me so far! LOL Most of it has been a lot of fun and I am definitely not complaining! There is so many things going on right now for so many of us, the traditional hustle and bustle, right? We're in the homestretch it seems for the holidays. Christmas is coming sooner than I am ready for but it always does and then it's gone way too soon!

One of the things I wanted to share with you all is a recipe page I made for a swap I am in. I mailed it off back in November but unfortunately I mailed it to the wrong address and now it appears to be missing! I have a tracking number and it's been a COMPLETE nightmare trying to find out any answers and I live several states away from the post office so it's not been an easy task thus far. I had wanted to wait to post it but at this rate I have no idea if they will even find the package or not, so I will go ahead and share with you my 6x6 Christmas Cookie recipe swap scrapbook page! I hope you like it!


The title circles are up on pop dots so it adds dimension. The star and circle "cookies" are on pop dots, as well. They also have stickles layered on them for a shimmery effect. The word "cookies" is a stamp from a retired TAC stamp set that worked perfectly with this layout.
This is the back of the layout. I thought it would be cute to put all the details for the swap on a "wooden spoon" that I sponged with burnt umber.

I will be back to post again soon! I have some really fun stuff planned for January so I hope you'll all be checking back in the next few days to see what I have on my agenda!!! So, leave me a comment and let me know what you think of my scrapbook page and tell me how you are, what you have been up to....I love to hear from you all!

Hugs,