Today I am Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know you are probably busy preparing the bird or perhaps a pie or maybe even a side dish or two...so I will make this one quick. I wanted to share with you what I am thankful for this year. 

I am thankful for my family. They love me, no matter how crazy I am.

I am thankful for my health. I've gone through a time in my life when I wasn't healthy, was not making healthy choices and I am in such a better place right now.

I am thankful for my friends. They allow me to be myself and don't expect anything more (or less).

I am thankful for my new found passion, Nerium. This is truly a blessing and it is allowing me to grow into such a better person.

I am thankful for warm blankets. Seriously--some people don't have them!

I am thankful for a son that still loves kisses from his mom--I know that will change soon.

I am thankful for my daughter and her choice of friends. She has picked a great group of girls to call friends.

I am thankful for my husband who helps with the household. Yes, he cleans!

I am thankful for many things...and one of them is you, my blog friend. Thank you for supporting me and reading my blog. I wish you many blessings today and the rest of the year!

 

Tasty Tuesday -- Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

Thanksgiving is just 2 days away! I am THANKFUL its not at my house this year! Yeah! If you are looking for a crowd pleasing, light and refreshing snack or fruit dish, I suggest this Tasty Tuesday dish:

Fruit Salsa
Found on Allrecipes.com

2 kiwis, peeled and diced

2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced

8 ounces raspberries

1 pound strawberries, diced

2 Tbls white sugar

1 Tbls brown sugar

3 Tbls fruit preserves, any flavor
 
Cinnamon Chips
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray 2 Tbls cinnamon sugar

Directions
Preheat over to 350 degrees. 
In a large bowl,  mix kiwis, apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes. 

Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray. 

Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

I am still mastering the art of crispy chips, so if you've found the trick, please fill me in!
 
Serve this alongside the other appetizers or side dishes on the Thanksgiving table! Heck, make it all year round--its super easy and always a hit!

For a printable version of the recipe, please click here.

 

Bowling Birthday Party!!

It's been more than a month since we've celebrated

my son's 8th birthday and I am finally getting around

to sharing it with you.

It all started with his idea to have a bowling party.

And my obession of going overboard.

Here's what we did:

These were the invites I created in Publisher. I printed them on White Card Stock and sent them as postcards.

These are the treat bag toppers. I filled the bags with gumballs and Rolo's.

I cut these out and taped them to a wooden skewer. I used this "picks" in the pails of food on the table.

We bought red and blue plastic table clothes to coordinate with the colors in the invite. I used my Cricut to cut out white card stock circles for the black cake plates--they look like bowling balls!

Here you can see the STRIKE picks displayed in the food pails!





I decided to make a Pinata Cake for his birthday because it would be round like a bowling ball. Unfortunately, it looked more like a ghost after I frosted it! I didn't want the kids to have black-stained mouth, tongue and lips by frosting it in black, so I went with the white frosting. Once I put the finger holes of the bowling ball on the cake, I realized it looked more like a ghost than a bowling ball. (didn't help that his birthday is only a few weeks away from Halloween!)

OH WELL!

It was fun watching the boys reaction when I cut into the cake! I stuffed that cake with Skittles, Gummy Bears, Sour Gummy Worms, M-n-M's and candy corn. It turned out great, but the boys were really only interested in the candy!

I'll share the how-to for the Pinata Cake later on!

I'm already working on Hailey's--she wants a sledding party. Not sure what PLAN B is if we don't get enough snow by the time her birthday rolls around at the end of December!.

Here's what we did last year for his 7th Birthday:

Football Party

Do you ever get carried away planning parties for your kids? Share a story with me!



Tasty Tuesday -- Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

What a crazy weekend. We had horrible storms Sunday here in Illinois. Luckily, our community was spared this time, but others were not so lucky. If you feel the urge to help those in need, please check out this Facebook Page. Our community went through similar devastation almost 3 years ago, so this is all too fresh in our minds and hearts.

Today on Tasty Tuesday, I'm sharing a tried and true recipe. I'm not sure where this originally came from but it is easy to put together with pantry items you typically already have. It makes a decent size batch too! I usually wrap and freeze the extra for a quick school day breakfast for the kids.

 

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

Ingredients
2 1/2 c. Bisquick
1/2 stick butter, melted (I reduced this to 1/4 stick)
1 1/4 c. milk (I use almond milk)
2 T. sugar (I use the amount suggested for Stevia)
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs (or egg subsitute)
1/2 c. finely chopped peeled apple (about 1 apple)

Directions
Heat skillet to 350 degrees. Stir all ingredients except apple until well combined. Add apple. Pour onto hot skillet. Cook until edges are dry, turn and cook until golden.

The house smells wonderful while these are cooking! Here's a tip: before you begin, turn on your oven to 350 degrees. Once it's ready, turn it off. When the pancakes are done, simply put them in the hot oven on a plate or directly on the rack. This will keep them all warm so you can sit down and eat hot pancakes together!

For a printable version of the recipe, click HERE.

Have a super day!

Crazy-easy Polka-dotted Wooden Frame

Remember last week when I shared a quote and said that I had a project for that quote? Well...I finally took pictures and can share it with you. Just in case you missed my previous post, you can find it here.

This has got to be one of the easiest craft projects to do. Hardly any skills are required. My kids could do this. Which means if you don't think you are "crafty"...you need to try this! It's crazy-easy to do! I dare you to try it!!

Here's the basic instructions for this polka-dotted frame.

Materials
Wooden Frame ($1 from Michaels)
Spray Paint (2 colors, I used black and platinum silver)
Circle Stickers (I used garage sale stickers)

Instructions
Wipe off frame with cloth. Spray paint base coat. This will be your bottom layer or the color of your polka dots. Allow to dry. Arrange circle stickers over the frame. Press each one down to secure it to the wood. Take second color and spray paint over the frame. Allow to dry. Peel stickers off of frame and enjoy your new crafty creation!
 

I love it! You could use green and red for a holiday theme, add a bow or leave it as is. I can't wait to give this as a gift this holiday season!

Tasty Tuesday--Speedy Chicken Stir-Fry

This is a quick meal to throw together on 

busy school nights. With tasty chicken and noodles, 

the whole family will enjoy every bite of it!

This time of year seems to be super hectic. School is in full swing, kids after school activities are going on, holidays (and planning for holidays) are right around the corner. The last thing I have time for is to be in the kitchen for hours making a wholesome dinner.

I love this recipe because it comes together so easily, is inexpensive and I typically have all the ingredients on hand. This meal comes together in less than thirty minutes and is a hit with everyone. We never have leftovers!

Speedy Chicken Stir-Fry

(origin unknown)

Ingredients

8 oz angel hair pasta, uncooked

2 c. broccoli (frozen or fresh)

1 lb chicken, raw and cubed

1/2 c. Asian Sesame Dressing

2 Tbls. Low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 tsp. ground ginger, garlic powder, crushed red pepper

Directions

Cook pasta as directed on package. Add broccoli to pasta water for the last 3 minutes of pasta cooking time.

Spray large non-stick skillet with cooking spray over med-high heat, cook chicken 6-8 minutes or until cooked. Add in dressing and spices and cook for 1 minute.

Drain pasta and broccoli. Add to skillet and toss with chicken. Serve warm.

For a printable version, click HERE.

Well...it's off to another busy week here at our house. My hubby is preparing for a long hunting trip to Missouri, so its just me and the kids for 10 days. Should be interesting!! Make it a great Tuesday!

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Free Printable Friday!!

I was working on a project that I needed a quote for. 

Found this quote somewhere on the internet and thought it was perfect and decided to create the printable. 

Exactly what I am going through right now. 

So positive and so true. 

I decided to share it first as a Free Printable and then I will show you how it looks in the project. Okay, I'm stalling. I don't have any good pics of the project yet. I'm hoping to cross that off my to-do list over the weekend. (along with about a thousand other items, too!)

Here's to a great Friday and an awesome weekend!

To print or save the FREE Printable, click HERE.

Thank you for stopping by today. If you liked this, share it!

Tasty Tuesday -- Not your Grandma's Goulash

When the weather gets colder, I love dishes that remind me of growing up. This recipe is one of those; however, I've adjusted it over the years to tailor it to my picky taste buds. This has become a favorite cold-weather dish for my entire family. It's simple, quick and uses one pan!

Not Your Grandma's Goulash

Ingredients
1/2 pkg egg noodles
3/4 - 1 lb ground beef
1 can tomato soup
Italian Seasoning, Garlic Powder, Salt & Pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan Cheese, optional

Directions
Boil noodles as directed on package, drain. While noodles are cooking, brown ground beef. Sprinkle with spices, as desired. Drain grease if necessasry. Add tomato soup, stir and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Add noodles, stir to combine. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes. Serve warm with garlic toast and your vegetable of choice.

For a printable version, click HERE.

What is one dish that reminds you of your childhood?