Her Happy Place

One of the ways to my little lady's precious heart.. is play time at the park.  It's one of her favorite places to be.  We'll get there, and off she'll run.. singing and playing.. she loves to sing at the park.  Just the other day, we were there... and she sang "Jesus Loves Me" on repeat.  At least 10 times.  Then she switched it up to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".  I will never get tired of that sing-song voice.

This is obviously her happy place.

I just love her so much.  I love watching her play, and sing... I love watching her grow.  Which she tends to do a bit faster than I'd like.  That happy face, makes me happy.

Fun Stenciled Clipboards {diy}

I had the opportunity to test out Plaid's new FolkArt Multi Surface Paints the past couple of weeks - so fun!  Not only that, but I also dabbled in some stenciling with the new Handmade Charlotte stencils.  Now I honestly just want to stencil anything I can get my hands on.  It's slightly addicting.  Both of these products are available at Michael's craft stores.

I truly love these paints - they are so versatile.  You can use them on practically any surface... fabric, wood, tin, glass, etc.  It's also dishwasher and wash machine safe!  Pretty neat, right?  And Handmade Charlotte has a ton of stencil designs to choose from.

My poor "office/craft area" is in dire need of attention.  It's the one thing that's been put on the back-burner since we moved into our home a year ago.  I decided to do a little stenciling on some clipboards for that room... a couple for decor, and a couple to hold my massive to-do lists (I mean very massive)..

The hard part was deciding what exactly I wanted to stencil on my clipboard.  I decided upon this little saying.. because I think it's something important I need to remind myself of often.  But once I got past that, the stenciling was a breeze!  ;)

First I used the tape to adhere the stencil to my project, so it would stay in place.  Then I took the small foam pouncers and I stippled the paint on.  Stippling helps so the paint doesn't bleed under the stencil.  For the white, I did two coats because I want to make sure it was nice and vivid.

I also did a couple more little stenciling projects to add a little life to my "office" area.. one of them being a pretty little heart stencil on one of my glass jars that holds some odd and ends.. tags for my Etsy items, a little ribbon, small clothespins, etc.  :)

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Trick-Or-Treat Bag {diy}

Is it just me, or is time going by entirely too fast?  Fall is my favorite time of the year... September through December.. I just love the holidays.  But it always passes to quickly.  To celebrate the first day of fall, I've been crafting - lots of crafting (and baking.. frosted pumpkin cookies later today!).

I've been really getting into stenciling lately.  It's really fun to play around with.  So I made this cute little trick-or-treat bag for Clara.  It's simple and I made it with stuff I already had.  Didn't cost me a dime!  Grab some stencils, paints, and a bag or something to stencil on - and have fun with it!

It's the perfect addition to any halloween costume.  I just love all of these Pottery Barn costumes.. found here.  Which one is your favorite?  I'm partial to the kids scarecrow one.. seriously just too cute.

I also have a soft spot for the baby pumpkin outfit.  I love babies dresses as little pumpkins.. I don't know why, I just really think it's the cutest thing ever.  And this crocheted pumpkin beanie that I made would go along perfect with it!  Right?  My daughter didn't want to take it off.

 

And as a little treat for you,  Pottery Barn Kids is offering 20% off plus free shipping on all of their treat bags online.  There are some super cute ones, too!!

This post is sponsored by Pottery Barn Kids, but seriously... my love for Pottery Barn is a true obsession.

Easy Personal Pizzas with Pillsbury {recipe}

So school has been back "in session" for almost a month now (at least here)... and while I don't have a kiddo in school per se... I just went back to work (for the first time since Clara's been born.. yikes!), and so Clara is now attending a Learning Center.  She's loves it!  With our lives being a little more chaotic now, we've had to get creative with dinners sometimes. 

The other night I made Grands Mini Pizzas... idea taken from the Pillsbury website!  You can totally top them with whatever you want, and completely make them your own. These are fast and easy to get on the table in less than 30 minutes... not to mention fun!  Clara loved helping me put cheese on her pizza.  :) It's a great way to get your kids involved with you in the kitchen!

All you have to do is preheat your oven to 375 F, flatten our your biscuits to about 6" around, top them with your choice of toppings, and put them in the oven for 10-15 minutes.  I put my homemade pizza sauce (recipe coming soon!) on top of ours... Clara's pizza just had cheese.. mine and my husbands pizza had cheese, pepperoni, yellow bell pepper, and some hamburger (we had 1 leftover burger in the fridge from when we grilled out the other day - great way to use those leftovers;).  Also, if you have an extras.. they freeze wonderfully!

Also, Pillsbury has a free recipe booklet you can download... check it out here.  What recipe looks the best to you?  I think the taco melts might be next on my list!  :)  I encourage you to get creative with your kids in the kitchen!  Just because it's been a long, crazy day.. doesn't mean you can't have fun and get a good meal on the table quick.

Oh, and my husband was also a fan!  ;)

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. The content and opinions expressed here are all my own and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of General Mills. Compensation was provided by General Mills via Clever Girls Collective.

#6SecondsFlat

I've teamed up with Wendy's to share the 'low down' on their fun new contest!  For a limited time, Wendy's has their new grilled chicken flatbread sandwiches available... it comes in honey mustard and asiago ranch.  Tasty! 

So.. more about this contest.  Wendy's is giving you a chance to win $6,000!  All you have to do is film a 6-15 second video clip (on either Vine or Instagram) about the flatbread sandwich and use the hashtags #6SecondsFlat and #LittleBits6... so simple!  Have fun with it, and make it funny!  You can see a lot of the silly video clips on their website.  And you can read all the official details here.

And yes.. yes I made a video.  I call this one, "Ma!  The Flatbread!"... you know, after the Will Ferrell line in Wedding Crashers (Ma! The meatloaf!)  And yes, that was totally my husbands idea.

This post is sponsored by Wendy's.  All opinions are my own.

Chicken Pot Pie {recipe}

It's the beginning of September (already?) and every year around this time I get that itch.. for comfort food, pumpkin everything... and cooler weather.  Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do about the cooler weather part... it was 100 degrees here yesterday... but every day I wish for it to come!  Arkansas in the fall?  Yes, please.. I'd take that all year round.  It's gorgeous.

100 degrees or not, I opted to make a classic chicken pot pie.  I'll shut the blinds and turn up the AC to pretend is chilly outside, if I have to.  This, to me, is one of the ultimate comfort foods.  A flaky crust filled with a blend of veggies and potatoes and mixed in with a creamy sauce.  It's definitely a hearty meal... a Sunday-afternoon-type-meal, if you know what I mean.

This particular recipe makes 2 pies... which is wonderful, because it does take a little bit of time to create.  So I can make 2 pies, and stick one in the freezer for another delicious meal at a later date - but without all the 'work'.  ;)

Chicken Pot Pie
recipe from Taste of Home

• 2 cups diced, peeled potatoes
• 1 3/4 cups sliced carrots
• 1 cup butter, cubed
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose)
• 1 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 3/4 tsp. pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 cups cubed, cooked chicken
• 1 cup frozen peas (or green beans)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 2 pkg. refrigerated pie pastry

1.  Preheat oven to 425 F.  Put potatoes and carrots in a saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook 8-10 minutes until they are crisp-tender.  Drain.

2.  In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat until melted.  Add onion and cook until tender.  Stir in flour and seasoning until blended, then gradually stir in broth and milk.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes or until thickened.  Stir in the chicken, peas, corn, and potatoes/carrots.  Remove from heat.

3.  Unroll a pastry sheet into eat of the two 9-in pie plates.  Add the filling mixture.  Unroll remaining pasty and place over the filling.  Seal and flute edges, cut slits in top.. brush the tops with an egg wash (1 egg and a little milk or water).. it helps to give it that pretty golden look.  ;)

4.  Bake 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned  Let stand 10-15 minutes before cutting.

*Freezing Tips*  If you are only going to bake one pie, you can cover the other and freeze it (unbaked).  To use, remove from the freezer 30 minutes before baking (don't thaw it).  Preheat oven to 425 F.  Place pie plate on a baking sheet and cover the edges loosely with foil.  Bake 30 minutes then reduce oven to 350 F.  Bake for 70-80 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165 F.

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Clara and Nana('s Kindle)

One of Clara's favorite things to do... is hang out with her Nana.  And where there's Nana.. there's Nana's Kindle.  The girl is obsessed with it, because.. of course.. she has all the fun games loaded on it.  ;)  My parents were able to come and visit us three times this year... how spoiled are we!  We already cannot wait to see them again... hoping we're able to go up this winter so we can have some fun in the snow.  :)

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies {recipe}

This is one of my favorite chocolate-y cookies.  You know those cookies that you just can't stop eating, and need a huge glass of a milk to go with it?  Yep, these are the ones (ok, maybe that's most cookies for me).  They are chewy and soft.. perfectly perfect.  I've made these cookies quite a few times in the past, but this time I made just a couple changes.  I used white whole wheat flour, instead of all-purpose... I've switched completely, and now use white whole wheat for everything.  So far, so GOOD!  I love the taste and chewiness it gives.  It's lighter than whole wheat, but has 100% of the nutrition.  Also, I used dark cocoa and dark choco chips instead of the traditional semi-sweet.  I have a love for dark chocolate.. and I think it works perfectly for these cookies.  Of course, you can switch out whatever kind of chocolate suits your taste.  :) 

These are also Clara approved, of course.  The kid takes after me - major sweet tooth!  Yes, she was sneaking chocolate chips while helping me and my mom make these..

Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Hershey's

• 2-1/4 cups white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose)
• 1/3 cup special dark cocoa (or cocoa of your choice)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2  eggs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) dark chocolate chips (or chips of your choice)

Heat oven to 375°F.  Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl on medium speed until creamy.  Add eggs; beat well.  Gradually add flour mixture, beating well.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes (9 minutes is the magic number for my oven), or until set.  Do not overbake.  Cool slightly, then remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to cool completely.  Makes about 5 dozen cookies.  Eat warm with a huge glass of milk.  ;)

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