Just For Fun

Sometimes I think it's fun just to read a bit about the person behind the blog, so I thought I'd share a few random things about me and follow up with a few of my favorite things.

*  I married my high school sweetheart.

*  I take Irish dance lessons.

*  I drink chai tea latte every morning, sometimes three.

*  I go to the bus stop in my pajamas.

*  I prefer artisan/costume jewelry instead of fine jewelry like diamonds or pearls.

*  My favorite shows are: Ellen, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother.  And I may be guilty of getting sucked into my kids' shows. Phineas & Ferb is my fave...and did you catch the Wizards finale? Wait, how old am I? Oh, and of course a dose of HGTV.

*  If I could choose to repeat one vacation it would be to Capri, Italy.

*  I love bagel shop bagels and bagel shop cream cheese.

*  I love a good meal! I mean a really good meal with my hubby or a group of friends!

A Few Of My Favorite Things

Favorite Starbucks drink - 1 pump vanilla latte

Go To Wine - Red Diamond Merlot

Favorite Movies - Comedies 
All Time Favorite Movie - Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Desserts - Ice cream in general, but current favorite is Starbucks Mocha Frappucino Ice Cream.  Also LOVE flourless chocolate cake, soooo good!
New Favorite Cookie - Archer Farms Dark Chocolate & Caramel Indulgent Cookies (having one right now)...and you can find them at My Favorite Store - Target
Favorite Vacations
South Haven, MI
Harbor Springs, MI
San Francisco/Wine Country
Italy

And I LOVE Plumberry Pie Readers!

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Happy Wednesday!

Kim

Cheat the Class Treat

Valentine's Day is around the corner and I'm bringing in the treat for my son's kindergarten class.  As you know, I'm a sucker for presentation, but I don't always have the time or energy to make something fabulous.  And to be honest, sometimes I'm just downright lazy.  So I thought, "Why not cheat the class treat, just like I faked the Angry Birds cake?"   As I was laying in bed the other night, I came up with this...

Not Quite Homemade Valentine Pudding Treats

Here's what you need:
Individual premade pudding (or Jello) treats - it's great because it comes in its own cup already!
*Whipped cream
Sprinkles of your choice and conversation hearts to add to the festive fun
Heart shaped marshmallows
Valentine cupcake wrappers
Glue dots (or some form of glue) to stick cupcake wrappers to bottom of pudding cup
* I found that the whip cream deflates, so you will want to put it on right before, if possible.

* CUTE * EASY * QUICK * YUMMY *

Tame The Bed Head Beast

I choose my battles with my kids, especially in the morning.  Get them out the door, geared up and bellies fed, that's all I can ask for.  In turn, they usually leave my house looking like they've been through a wind storm.  Like I said, I choose my battles.  I'm lucky to get them out the door in time for the bus.  Every now and then we try to tackle the Bed Head Beast.  I've tried putting a little water on the spot and combing it down, but it bounces right back up. So out comes the gel.  Still bounces right back up!  Seriously?! UGH!  For some reason it never fails to bounce back up and I send my kids on their way sportin' some good bed head.  Until now.

I just had lunch with an old friend and as we were talking over the adventures of parenthood, especially with boys, she shared her Bead Head Fix with me.

1. Wet a washcloth, more damp than wet.
2. Lay it on top of the bed head, then go about your morning.  About 5-10 minutes should work.
3. Take it off to discover bed head no more!

BEFORE: a little rooster tail action

THE FIX: damp washcloth on the head

You and your little man will even get some giggles out of it!

AFTER: Bed Head Beast Under Control

I've done it three days in a row now - works like a charm.

GENIUS! 

The other day I ran across another great tip for anyone living with little boys...Getting Rid of the "Boy Smell" in the Bathroom.  If you have boys, you probably know what I'm talking about.  For those who don't, boys have a way of missing the toilet.  We don't always know it, then there's a lingering smell that is hard to track down and fix.  Check out Ask Anna... for her tips on how to get rid of the "boy smell" in the bathroom. 

I love comments, so please feel free to share any tips and tricks you have from your adventures in parenthood!

Weekend Reading: House of Fifty

The weekend is here and it is time to recharge.  If you're a home design junkie like me and need to get a good fix, take a peek at the spring issue of the online magazine House of Fifty founded by Janell from the blog Isabella & Max Rooms.  Janell has successfully completed its fourth issue and just launched a House of Fifty itune app.  So get ready for some inspirational photos and articles on home design, diy, fashion, as well as some yummy recipes and more.  You won't be disappointed. 

Happy Friday!

Kim

FAMILY LOVE: My Gallery Wall

Yes, February is the month of love, so I thought I'd share some things I love.  To kick it off, I'll start with my family of course!  No, I'm not going to do an intro of all my family members, I'm just going to show you one way I express my love for them.  In our playroom and family room I have gallery walls of these crazy people I call family. 

Here's how I went about it.  I was inspired a few years ago by a large "M" on my friend's wall (Cherie, you were ahead of the trend.) and knew I had to copy that!  So I used the large letter "B" as my key inspiration and one of the main anchors of the wall.

I also wanted a mix of typography and inspirational words incorporated.

These press letters were my hubby's grandparents.
I thought they were cool, so I framed them in a shadowbox.

 

So after I figured out my key pieces, I laid everything out on my floor with the largest picture in the middle as my starting point and the "B" anchoring one end.   I Played around a bit to get a good balance of photos and typography, then started pounding nails into the wall.  Actually my husband did the nailing.  That's what we do.  I get a vision and he helps make it a reality.  He's good stuff.  I like him.

This is called strategic photography to give the illusion that my house is nice and neat.
Some other day I will zoom out when it is actually cleaned up.

In my family room, I simply displayed large headshots of my kids straight across.

Easy peasy and a big impact.

More strategic photography. Yep, my house is a mad mess right now.

Somewhere in the near future, I hope to make these walls the kids' art gallery wall.

But that's another post someday soon, I hope...

Not really doing their artwork justice.

Blank wall with poster I thought was kinda cool, not working so much.

More blank walls.  Time to kick it up a notch!

If you are a home design junkie like me,
come back tomorrow to hear about a good read
packed with great design info and eye candy.

 

RANDOM RAMBLING: Spread the Love

I'm kicking off February with my second Random Rambling: Spread the Love. (visual: me holding up my fingers in a peace sign) Peace, love and happiness, dude.  Sorry, couldn't resist, like I said, Random Rambling...so anyway...

My birthday was a couple of weeks ago and I was reminded of how even the smallest gestures, from a stranger at that, can be such a gift.  So of all things, I went on an impossible mission on my birthday....hunting for a comfortable heel to wear to the Auto Show Charity Preview.  Comfortable heel, what was I thinking?  Does that even exist?  Please let me know if you've found one.

Anyhow, I was feeling a bit light headed so I stopped by the food counter right outside Nordstrom and the guy behind the counter says, "Love your scarf! Love it!"  At first, I didn't even process what he said or that he was even talking to me.  I was too busy looking at the food.  Once I computed it, I was astounded by how much I appreciated this random guy's comment about my scarf of all things.  For some reason, it made me feel like he was saying "Happy Birthday" even though he had no way of knowing it was my birthday.  Maybe it sounds superficial that I appreciated a comment about my scarf, but sometimes it's not just that.  It's that he took a moment to acknowledge me, make me feel special.  It was a true, sincere compliment too.  He wasn't trying to sell anything, I was already there.  There was no ulterior motive except pure sincerity.

Wouldn't it be great if we all paid it forward and just spread the love every day, several times a day?  Imagine what the world would be like.  It's like those commercials when someone does something for someone, then it snowballs and that person does something for someone.  I find it's the smallest gestures that make the biggest difference in your day.  Don't you find if you smile, then someone else does and you both feel better?  There's something about that split second connection.  You just never know what's going on in someone's life and a small, kind gesture may be just what they needed to change their day around.  Just a quick smile, compliment, note, any small gesture just to spread the love.
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“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”

Robert Brault :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

How Quickly Things Change

I don't usually do two posts in one day, but this was too funny not to share.  Just got home from running errands and looked out the back window and our snowman was not there anymore.  Took a closer look and this is what I found.  HILARIOUS.  How quickly things change in Michigan - 55 degrees today.

The Blow Pop was his pipe in case you wondering what that was doing there.

One minute he's there...

...gone the next.

Good-bye Mr. Snowman.  It was nice while it lasted.

Winter Hello

Just a quick winter hello for my warm weather friends out there.  We finally got enough snow to build a snowman! 

If you don't have snow, but want to make a snowman, check out my Winter Class Party post for a water bottle snowman craft and snowman snack.

Valentine's Stuff

I tend to stay low key when it comes to Valentine's Day, throw some hearts on my doors and call it a day.  But I've seen some ideas lately that may have inspired me to kick it up a notch.  Check these out...

Little Lucy Lu's Valentine Centerpieces

tatertots & jello's Valentine Pallet Art 

tatertots & jello's Glitter Mason Jars

Really Renata's Valentine Wreath

And you've got to see these adorable

and clever Valentine card ideas...

Robot Valentines from Randee's Organized Chaos

I "Wheelie" Like You by 30 Handmade Days

Pipe Cleaner Heart Bookmarks from Vixen Made

Silly Sucker Valentine from Tea & Lime

Cupid's Arrow Valentine's by

Landee See Landee Do

My daughter is thinking about doing these

Valentine Friendship Bracelets from Dandee.

I really want to make these for my kids on Valentines Day...

Heart Shaped Hard Boiled Eggs from

Katie's - a secret blog  

Check out My Pinterest Valentine's Board for more ideas.

Feel free to share some of your ideas in the comments section or link up to the blog hop sponsored
by Randee's Organized Chaos on the sidebar.

Kim

Birthday Fun & Yummies for My Hubby

Today is my hubby's birthday!  One of the reasons I love my husband so much is for his sense of humor.  We have so much fun giggling together.  Here's a video clip that never fails to make us giggle.  I hope it gives you a giggle too.  Happy Birthday, Kev!  I Love you more each year! (I had the actual clip here, but it made my blog run too slowly, so just click on the link below to see it instead.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V8tMK68M7U&feature=related

This morning I surprised him with breakfast cookies, actually he saw them last night, but they were for this morning.  Yes, cookies for breakfast!  My hubby and I love these, but I don't make them often enough!  The best part is, they are good for you!  It's like eating oatmeal, peanuts, an apple and a carrot all in a cookie.   My sister actually wrote this recipe.   Amongst many other things, she writes recipes for Nourish MD, a website focusing on eating REAL.  Visit my sister Jackie on Facebook at Prep Like a Chef for any questions on this recipe or anything food-related.  I don't know anything about cooking, so she's my "go to" gal when I need food-related answers, like "how do I turn on the stove?".  Just kidding, I'm not that bad.

Grab a couple of these yummies and eat them on the go for breakfast or as a snack. Throw a smoothie with them and you are good to go. You can even crumble them up to add to a trail mix or put on top of yogurt. ENJOY!

Happy Friday!

Kim

 

Breakfast Cookies  (2-3 dozen depending on size of  cookies)                           

1 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
*1 cup sugar
2 eggs beaten
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or ground oatmeal
1 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
pinch of Celtic sea salt
1 3/4 cups whole oats
**1 granny smith apple finely grated with the skin on &the juices (or any apple you have)
**1 carrot finely grated
1 cup raisins, here's where I substitute chocolate chips - I don't like raisins
1/4 cup grated or flake coconut, your preference - I like a finer texture.

 * To make it less processed, use sucanat a non-refined cane sugar or palm sugar, a low glycemic index - available at Whole Foods.  You can also adjust the sugar amount to your liking.

** I complained to my sister about grating the apple and carrot and she suggested just throwing them in the blender (after you core the apple of course).  My blender stinks, so I got a work out in my arms and grated them by hand.


Directions                                                                                           

• Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Mix butter, peanut butter and sugar together.
• Blend in eggs.
• In separate bowl, combine whole wheat flour (or ground oatmeal), baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.  Gradually add to peanut butter mixture.
• Stir in oatmeal, apple, carrot raisins and/or chocolate chips and coconut.
• Place tablespoons of cookie dough onto baking sheet.
• Bake for 9-11 minutes until edges just become brown.  Cool completely.

Allergen Info                                                                               

• Can be casein-free with a coconut oil or ghee in place of butter.
• Can be gluten-free with gluten-free oats.
• Can be peanut and tree-nut free with sunflower seed butter.  FYI: sunflower seed butter turns slightly green, but still tastes great!
• Vegetarian