It has been a long and dreary week and we are oh so ready for the return of that sunshine and warm weather that we were enjoying. March always seems to be so gloomy, rainy and windy and 5 days of it in a row gets to be a bit much.
Weekend plans consist of pretty much nothing AKA lots of time with my laptop and a larger than life cupcake.
This weekend there are some exciting changes happening here. But, if everything goes well you won't know any different.
(Other than a pretty new page design of course)
Here's a sneak peak at the new look.
Later tonight I begin the process of switching our Blogger blog over to a self-hosted WordPress. Say a little prayer for me and wish me lots of luck because like most of my projects I am DIY'ing this transition.
Confession. I found out about Ibotta one week ago today when my friend Anna brought ups the $43 in gift cards that she had earned in a matter of months. If there is one thing I love it is getting money back for buying things I was already going to buy!
So that got me thinking surely I'm not the only one who has never heard of this app?
Sunday morning I was shocked when someone said they saw Emily's photo in the local paper.
Marissa's response: "WHAT?! Emily, AGAIN!"
It turns out the individual making the ad for the 2016 JMR run must have thought Emily was just as cute as we do and picked her to be the "fun run poster child"
I think they picked well.
Friday Linkup Parties
To see where I am linking up check out my link-up tab.
Goodness does it seem like the year is flying by with the first two months of the year already over.
Today I'll be sharing February's photos for our 2016 Picture Perfect Project.
I kept things the same as last month. I love the idea of taking my photos in the same spot every week but the lighting in that room is proving to be a challenge and wanting to cause some unpleasant shadows in my photos and that is really starting to bug me. So I'll either get over it or pick a different location.
Let's take a look!
February
Week 6
Emily has been quite the over smiler aka sarcastic smiler lately. It has made for some "Interesting" photos.
Oh and look, a Minnie Mouse dress!
Week 7
These photos have made me VERY aware of how often I just let the girls wear headbands and don't really fix their hair. So this week I braided M's bangs and gave sister some pig tails.
Week 8
Emily's birthday week and she wore the best Minnie Mouse dress ever.
It's like a Minnie lovers princess dream come true!
Week 9
The shadow and lighting was especially terrible this day.
This was the morning of our overnight get away.
The girls just "HAD" to pose with their new Build-A-Bear friends.
And that wraps up February and 9 of 52 photos.
2016 so far...
January
Now it's your turn to link-up!
Grab the button from my sidebar and share the photos you've been taking lately.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EasterMadeEasy #CollectiveBias
Spring is in the air!
For the first time in years spring has actually sprung early, thank you Jesus! With Easter arriving early this year I am so glad the weather will match the occasion and maybe we won't be wearing coats over our Easter dresses after all.
Today I wanted to share the perfect delicious & quick Easter dessert with you. It is something that you can whip up in a matter of minutes with the kids and is sure to leave your dinner guests, friends or whomever impressed!
Sometimes I want to make a special treat but I don't always have time to whip up a made from scratch dessert, especially during the busyness of spring. Anyone else in the same boat as me?!
Recently while shopping at my local Wal-Mart I decided to stock up on a few items to get me through the next couple of months. Walmart has a HUGE variety of Mrs. Smith's & Edwards Pies. I try to keep one in the freezer year round, you never know when you might need dessert in a pinch. Oh the many times that I have been rescued by their convenience. Not to mention all of the times that we pull one out just because it is a Monday.
Right now you can save $1 on any Mrs. Smith or Edwards Pie purchase on Ibotta!
I recently signed up for Ibotta after my friend Anna recommended it and I am already loving it.
This particular shopping trip I had something extra special in mind. With Easter less than 3 weeks away, now is the time to start planning and preparing for all of the celebrations. I picked out my pies, headed home and got to work.
The pie is pretty perfect just the way it comes.
Those delicious layer and a homemade cookie crust make every bite delicious.
I decided that by adding a few simple ingredients I could turn this pie into something festive.
print recipe
Bunny Pie
by Beth Newman March-8-2016
A fun festive treat featuring Edwards.
Ingredients
1 Edwards Pie (any flavor)
2 Black Grapes
1 Raspberry
1 piece Pull n' Peel licorice
1-1.5 Cups Whipped Topping
1 Piece of white card stock
1 Piece of pink paper
Instructions
1) Remove the pie from the box and fill in the middle with and even layer of whipped topping.
2) Use the grapes, raspberry and licorice to create the bunnies eyes, nose and whiskers.
3) Cut the card stock and pink paper into bunny ears (gluing together if needed and slide them in between the crust and the pie plate.
4) Enjoy!
Details
Prep time: Cook time: 0 minutes Total time: Yield: 1 Pie
How cute is this pie?!
My girls were GIDDY with excitement
#EasterMadeEasy
Fun and simple to make. Delicious to eat!
Mrs. Smith's and Edwards Pies are the perfect dessert any time of the year for any occasion.
What is your favorite kind of pie?
With the huge variety Mrs's Smith's and Edwards make you are sure to find something for everyone!
Now it's your turn to link up for this weeks Tuesday Talk!
I had so much fun writing up my January in numbers post that I decided to make it a part of the monthly blog rotation. It is such a fun way to recap a month and add up all of the little things that make up our days.
Recipes shared: 2
I feel the need to add that I tried the blueberry muffins with strawberries this week and they were equally amazing.
Trips to the gym: 15
Honestly I am completely shocked and had to double check my check ins. I only thought I had 13 or so.
Cupcakes baked: 36
I did a trial batch and a birthday batch and ate entirely to many.
Episodes of Parks & Rec Watched: 23
I think this show is officially my all time favorite now. It is just the funniest.
Rounds fired: 180
Pew, pew! Working on my skills, watch out.
Hours spent debating 2016/2017 curriculum: 12... at least
So glad for my friend Anna and my SIL who I can bounce ideas off of.
Cell Phone Selfies: 28
NASCAR Races watched:2
Tickets purchased to the May 7th, Kansas Speedway Race: 2!
Boogity, boogity we're going to a race!
Nights away: 1
And it was glorious.
Paper hearts cut out: 96'ish
Girl night/dates with Anna: 4
I think that might be a record number in one month.
Blog posts wrote: 22
Years Emily turned: 5
Pieces my heart broke into while looking at her 5 year photos: Hundreds
I was am just not ready for my baby to be 5.
And that recaps our February... now that we are a week into March already :/.
Things are going to be a bit different around here today as I stray away from my typical Friday five format. This week I had the pleasure of working with Hello Freshwho hired me to share their amazing service with you. Today I want to talk about my experience and give you my honest opinion while I share 5 reasons why Hello Fresh is awesome!
{ONE} Convenience
Two hands in the air if going to the grocery store pains you. Anyone else?! Picking a menu, creating a shopping list, loading up the kids and going to the store. It is definitely one of my least favorite tasks. Hello Fresh takes the work out of the process by creating a menu, doing the shopping for you and delivering quality, fresh ingredient to your door step, FOR FREE!
When my box arrived, I naturally dropped everything to dig into it right away. On top I found my recipe cards followed by boxes with the ingredients for each meal. Underneath that was a cardboard layer with several large ice packs and the meat. It was all wrapped in an insulated bag. Leaving me already impressed.
{TWO} Quality
Hello Fresh provides gorgeous, high quality ingredients that are purchased from their local suppliers. Not only are the ingredients a great quality, they also send you almost everything you need for the recipes. In the three Hello Fresh meals that I fixed the only thing I used from my pantry was a bottle of olive oil.
{THREE} Creativity
I absolutely love being creative in the kitchen, but sometimes I find myself stuck in our routine or a comfort zone. Hello Fresh challenged me to be creative by using new ingredients and flavor combinations. The meals I prepared were more gourmet and healthier than our typical week night meals and that was a great change.
{FOUR} Fun
Hello Fresh made cooking exciting and fun again. I often find myself in the "do we really need to eat dinner" rut, but not this week. Preparing the meals was so easy and exciting. The whole family really enjoyed being a part of the process and I found Marissa excitedly asking which box we were going to fix tonight!
{FIVE} Flavor
The meals we tried were: Crispy Chicken Pamigiana Salad Korean-Style Beef Stir Fry Jamies Mega Mushroom & Lentil Curry with Tomato, Cilantro & Lemony Rice
We definitely had our favorite, the Crispy Chicken Parmigiana Salad, but all of the recipes were so flavorful and unique. Hello Fresh loves picky eaters too. With their classic box you are able to hand pick up to 5 recipes a week to try.
